That Summer
by crazyfroggster8
Summary: The time has come for Kagome, Miroku, and Sango's annual summer vacation trip. But things are different for Kagome this year. She meets a guy and they become friends, but it looks like his girlfriend doesn't want her in the picture. Inu/Kags
1. Chapter 1: Heading Out

That Summer

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 1: Heading Out**

"Get up, Kagome. Miroku will be here any minute and he's expecting us to be ready on time!"

Kagome groggily got out from under her comfortable bed sheets and rubbed her eyes. She looked up and saw Sango fully dressed with her bag in hand, and an impatient look spread across her face.

"Aw, Sango. Why did we agree to get up so early anyway? You know how I am about getting my beauty sleep." She glanced at her clock, which read 7:15. Not wanting to get yelled at anymore by her best friend, she reluctantly got out of bed and slowly made her way to the bathroom, closing the door once inside.

"You need to be ready in 15 minutes so we can go, okay? I'll go get your mom to help bring your stuff downstairs."

Kagome managed to utter a yes, so Sango knew she was awake and not sleeping behind the closed door. She, Miroku, and Sango had been best friends since middle school, when Kagome had moved to Florida with her family seven years ago. They had just started summer break and were already planning their annual two-month vacation at Sango's aunt's beach house. But every year pretty much held the same routine, getting up super early to beat traffic.

Ten minutes later, Kagome emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in a white baby doll top, with cuffed jean shorts and her hair down. She was walking downstairs when she heard a loud slap. She giggled to herself, knowing that Miroku had finally arrived.

"What happened between you two?" Kagome struggled to hold back her laughter when she saw the outraged look that Sango was giving Miroku.

"I was just giving my dear Sango our usual morning greeting," he replied innocently.

"Yeah, right! I expected you to give me a hug, NOT a stroke on my butt you lecher!"

Kagome had to laugh at that. Even though the two had been going out for almost a year, Miroku was still as perverted as ever toward Sango.

"Well guys, I'm all set. Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah. Miroku, do something useful with your hands and help me put the bags in your car." Sango took her own bags and Miroku took Kagome's.

"I'm going to say goodbye to my family." Kagome went into the kitchen and spotted her mom who was already making breakfast for her brother and grandfather. They had all wanted to see Kagome off so they had gotten up early as well.

"Good morning dear. Are you guys getting ready to leave? Do you want any breakfast before you go?"

"Yeah, we're leaving now but we'll eat something on the way."

Souta jumped up to give Kagome a hug. "I'm gonna miss you sis."

Kagome hugged him tighter. "Me too, but don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." She truly would miss having Souta around.

With a hug and a smile, she said her goodbyes to her grandfather and hopped into the car with Miroku and Sango. Sango was already in the front so Kagome hopped into the back.

Miroku turned on the radio. "Are you beautiful ladies ready to go?"

Sango pumped her fists in the air. "Yep all set and ready to go. We can finally leave now!"

"What about you, Kagome?"

A loud growling sound came from the back of the car, causing all heads to turn. Kagome's face turned beet red in embarrassment.

"Hehe, is it alright if we stop somewhere to eat first?"

"Good idea," Miroku managed, trying to hold back his laughter.

xoxoxoxoxo

After about two hours of driving, they finally made it to the beach house. Kagome's eyes scanned it over. 'Sango's aunt must have remodeled since the last time we came here.' The house was medium-sized with large windows in the front that allowed sunlight to enter inside. There were four bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a basement and deck with a fantastic view.

Sango clapped her hands together once they all stepped inside. "Okay, Kags. You're sharing a room with me and Miroku can sleep in one of the guest bedrooms like he normally does."

Miroku's mouth turned up in a lecherous grin. "Sango, you know you're more than welcome to sleep with me."

"In your dreams, hentai. Come on Kagome, we need to put our stuff up." With a huff, she quickly dragged Kags up the stairs and headed for the direction of her bedroom.

Sango's room was the second biggest in the house, aside from her aunt's. She had a queen-sized bed with a hot pink and orange striped bedspread, a laptop, a mini flat screened TV, and a few multicolored beanbag chairs. The girls put their stuff away in Sango's closet and began heading downstairs. On their way down, an uneasy Miroku met them.

"Sango, your beloved is hungry. Don't you have any food around here?"

"I've been here as long as you, so don't expect me to know. But it's doubtful since my aunt hasn't been here in months." Sango's aunt, Victoria, was currently studying abroad in Japan so the group hadn't seen her since last summer.

Kagome remembered a seafood restaurant that they had passed by on the way. "How about we go to Jack's Seafood Shack? It seemed to be pretty popular by the looks of it."

"Do you remember where it was?" Miroku asked in a rush.

"Um, I think so.."

"Great! Then let's go now!" Miroku was already out of the door before either of the girls managed to take a step.

**A/N:** First chapter, baby! Lol, I hope you all liked it. I had this idea in my head for a while so I'm glad that I'm able to finally post. As for the status of my other story, it's currently a work in progress and I'm still thinking about ideas for new chapters. The next chapter should be out soon so don't forget to review ^^


	2. Chapter 2: Jerk Encounter

That Summer

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! You made me feel really happy ^^ Well, here's the next chapter.

**Chapter 2: Jerk Encounter**

When they arrived at the seafood shack, it was really crowded just like Kagome had predicted. After a wait of 15 minutes, they were all brought to a table and seated. Everyone put their orders in and while Miroku and Sango were talking amongst themselves, Kagome was lost in thought.

'I wonder how my summer will be this year. Since Sango and Miroku are going out now, they'll probably be spending a lot of time together. I guess I might just have to deal with being alone...I don't want to seem like a third wheel or anything...'

Kagome didn't notice that the talking at the table had stopped and her friends were trying to get her attention. Miroku was waving his hand in her face. "Hellooo, earth to Kags...are you okay?"

She came out of her daze with a surprised look on her face. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Sango gave her friend a worried look. "You kept sighing a lot. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Kagome gave her friends a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I think I need to go to the bathroom for a moment though."

Miroku's face immediately brightened. "Do you need me to accompany you there? It would be my pleasure."

_'SLAP' _"It was a joke Sango, a joke!" He cried out, holding his pulsing cheek with his hand.

"Hmph, didn't sound like it." She glared at him. "You go ahead Kags. I'm gonna keep an eye on this pervert."

Kagome got up from her chair and made her way toward the bathroom. She was still thinking, when suddenly she tripped over her own feet, silently screaming as she fell. She shut her eyes, expecting to fall face first onto the floor, but instead, she fell onto a hard, moving surface.

"Jeez wench. Watch where you're going!"

Kagome looked up and what she saw made her gasp. The guy she bumped into was a hanyou with long silver hair, beautiful amber eyes, and the cutest dog ears she had ever seen. He also looked to be around her age. Kagome's eyes began shining for she had the greatest urge to touch his ears, but she stopped herself, knowing that the guy would probably get even more angry if she did.

The guy started to get agitated and turned a bit red when he saw that she was gaping at him. Their positions on the floor didn't really help matters either. "Uh, can you get off me now?"

"Oh, sorry...I'm really sorry for bumping into you, and uh, falling on you too." She apologized profusely as she scrambled to get back on her feet.

The stranger got up as well, huffing loud enough for her to hear. "Feh, you better be wench..."

Hearing his rude comment, Kagome quickly stopped apologizing and became agitated herself.

"Listen you!" Her face began to heat up. "I told you I was sorry, you don't have to be such a jerk about it!"

The hanyou became even angrier. 'Who the heck was this girl? Plus, who gave her the right to yell at him, Inuyasha Takahashi?!'

"Well you listen, girl," he spat. "I'm in a rush and you falling on me just wasted 5 minutes of my life. So you shouldn't be the one who's mad here!" By this time, both were so close that their noses were almost touching.

Just as Kagome was about to yell back, her phone rang. At the same time, a raven-haired girl dressed in revealing clothes walked through the door. Not wanting to be bothered by the "jerk", her new nickname for him, she turned her back and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

[Kagome where are you? The food's already here and I'm about to kill Miroku if he touches me one more time!]

"Okay Sango, don't worry. I'll be right there."

She hung up just as the girl she saw walk in made her way over to them. Kagome was surprised that the jerk was still there. He looked as though he was ready to say something to her, but all he did was silently fume.

Kagome opened her mouth to ask him what his problem was when she was interrupted by a high-pitched voice.

"Inuyasha!! Why were you taking so long? I've been waiting for what seemed like HOURS for you to come, baby!"

"Sorry, Kikyo. I would have been there sooner if a certain situation hadn't occurred." He gave a low growl directed toward Kagome.

Kikyo too turned her head, finally acknowledging Kagome. "Who are you and what were you doing with MY Inuyasha?" She placed one hand on her hip while she wrapped her free arm around her boyfriend.

Kagome didn't like this girl's attitude and really didn't want to be around Inuyasha anymore. "Kagome Higurashi. And I was just leaving." She turned on her heel and headed back to her friend's table, trying to control her lingering anger.

Once settled again, all eyes were on her. She angrily stabbed her salad and moved pieces of lettuce around, not really in the mood to eat.

Sango knew that whenever Kagome caused physical harm to her food, she was angry about something. "Kagome, what happened and you better spill it now."

Kagome looked up, forcefully swallowed the bit of food that she had eaten, and wiped her mouth. Very calmly, she sighed and then blew up. "Where do I begin?" She told her story of meeting Inuyasha and his stupid girlfriend, and explained in great detail how much of a jerk he was. She continued ranting about Inuyasha's rudeness when Miroku decided to interrupt.

"I think Kags likes the guy!"

"Wha-what! Like him? Miroku are you drunk or something? I'd never like such an egotistical jerk like him. Never in a million years!"

"Well no matter. You can't deny the truth forever, Kaggy. But I bet he's not as good looking as me," Miroku stated cockily.

"Hmph, someone's overly vain," Sango muttered under her breath. She continued eating when she felt a hand rub her backside.

_'SMACK'_ "You pervert! Can't you act civilized in a restaurant for one second!! My gosh, you're exasperating." By now, everyone was staring over at their table.

"I can't help it if my hand is cursed my dear Sango." Miroku gave her a sexy smirk, causing her to lose her train of thought.

"You cheater." Sango was still irritated but Kagome could see that she was blushing.

When the dinner was over, the three friends went back to the house. Once inside, Kagome started up the stairs while Sango stayed to talk with Miroku. She was tired and just wanted to sleep. Thoughts of Inuyasha filled her mind and she suddenly became irritated again. 'Stupid jerk. He's so annoying. So rude. But really hot....no not hot!! Just a jerk.'

After showering and putting on their pajamas, she and Sango hopped into bed.

"Night, Kags," she yawned as she turned off the light.

"Night, Sango."

**A/N:** Yay, second chappie is done! I'm currently working on the next chapter so I'll post it soon. Reviews are appreciated :D


	3. Chapter 3: The Beach Incident

That Summer

Thanks to all the reviewers. Your reviews were the one thing that made me happy over this depressing birthday weekend, so thanks again. Here's the next chapter.

**Chapter 3: The Beach Incident**

Kagome woke up to the sounds of clattering dishes coming from the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. 'Hmm, seems like I've overslept.' She looked over and noticed that Sango was already up.

"I guess I should go see what's up."

Unable to sleep anymore, she slowly climbed out of bed and began making her way down the stairs. "Whatever you guys are cooking smells really good," Kagome yelled as she descended.

"Ya think?" Sango called back, just as Kagome entered the kitchen. Miroku was busy cooking breakfast while Sango was getting the table ready. "You'd never think that Miroku was a good cook."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He gave Sango a mock angry face, causing her to giggle and hug him from behind.

"Miroku was the one who dragged me along this morning to go buy food. I don't think he got much sleep last night from stressing so much about it."

"Hey, I wasn't stressing. My stomach was my reminder. You know, I didn't get to have my routine late night snack last night either."

"Oh, you'll live." Sango continued setting things up.

"Here, Sango. Let me help." Kagome grabbed the dishes and helped her friend out with the table. "It's the least I can do."

When everything was ready, Miroku served all the food and everyone began eating.

"So guys, what's the plan for today?" Kagome asked.

Sango had made a list of places they absolutely had to visit before they came, so she pulled that out as she responded. "Hmm, let's see. Today, we were planning on heading to the beach since it's so nice out. I've got lots of other things planned for us, but that comes later."

Miroku did I silent cheer inside of his head. "I can't wait to see my sexy lady in something revealing. Dress to impress, Sango dear."

Sango gave him an irritated look, but chose to ignore him.

After the three were done with breakfast, they headed to their rooms to change. Both of the girls had chosen bikinis to wear for the day. Sango's was a halter bikini that was all black with white polka dots. She put on short shorts over her bottoms, grabbed her matching black flip-flops, and secured her hair into a high ponytail.

Kagome had on a string bikini with red and white stripes going diagonally across the top and bottom. She had on matching red flip-flops and decided to let her hair down. Instead of shorts, she covered her bottoms with a red sarong.

When they were done prepping, they met up with Miroku downstairs. He was wearing a black shirt and blue and black pixelate board shorts with matching blue flip-flops. Once he saw the girls, he immediately started drooling.

"Sango, be my future wife! I'm so hot for you right now."

Embarrassed, Sango playfully smacked him across the shoulder. "You're not so bad yourself, mister. Now let's go you guys. We don't want this great day to go to waste!"

xoxoxoxoxo

When they arrived at the beach, it was already packed with a ton of people. It was difficult to find a spot, but they managed to find one nonetheless. As they were setting up, guys were checking out Sango and Kagome, but kept their distance because of Miroku's pissed off face.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go ahead and get in the water, okay?" Kagome didn't want to get in the way of Sango and Miroku's alone time.

"Okay, Kags. We'll be over here. I'm gonna work on my tan anyway." Sango spread out her towel, put her sunglasses on, and lay down on her stomach.

With a nod, Kagome took off in the direction of the water.

Miroku took this as an opportunity to work his magic. "Let me help you there." He grabbed the sunscreen and began lotioning Sango's back.

Sango was tense at first, but then relaxed. She had to keep Miroku's attention or else he'd be drooling after all the girls wearing skimpy bikinis. And by the looks of things, there were a lot of girls already checking out his body.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kagome made her way to the beach's shore and looked out into the water. She had always loved the look of the ocean, but could never actually enjoy being in it. Honestly, the water was nowhere close to being her friend. When she was little, she almost drowned in a neighborhood pool. Thankfully, one of the adults saved her before you sunk down into the deep end. Ever since then, she'd tried countless times to overcome her fear.

Now that Kagome was older, her fear of the water had lessened, but not entirely. She was able to play in the shallow end of pools and oceans, but that was about as far as she was able to go. She'd never taken swimming lessons before so it was obvious that she couldn't swim.

Kagome stepped into the water and was surprised at how warm it was. She cautiously went in deeper, but stopped when the water was up to her waist. 'Okay, this is fine...I'll just stay here and everything will be just...fine.'

Even though it was sunny, the wind was blowing pretty hard that day. The surfers must have been happy, seeing as there were tons of huge waves to ride.

Although she couldn't swim, Kagome knew how to float. It was the first thing that her dad taught her during her first pool visit, and she never forgot it. 'Well, I'm close to the shore so if I stay around this area no harm will come of it.'

Kagome slowly laid back with her eyes closed and listened to the ocean sounds around her. Unknown to her, a huge wave was heading in her direction and after a few minutes, she was unaware of how far she'd distanced herself from the shore.

A nearby surfer and his friend had noticed the wave coming and Kagome in its path. "Hey is that girl crazy or something? That wave's gonna swallow her whole."

His friend nodded in agreement and called out to her. "Hey girl! You better get out of the way!"

Kagome heard yelling and opened her eyes to see what all the commotion was about. She saw a boy yelling and pointing at something behind her. She broke her floating position to see what it was and gasped. A huge wave was coming at her full speed. Kagome tried to gather her footing in order to get away, but her feet touched water, not the sandy bank.

"Someone _'blurb'_ help _'blurb' _me!" She found herself sinking and her screaming attempts were in vain, for her mouth was filling with salt water after every word.

With a crash, the wave smashed over the top of her head, and she was pushed all the way under. Kagome flailed around in a desperate attempt to reach the surface, but she didn't know which direction was up, and each thrash only caused her to sink deeper.

Her breaths were getting short and her lungs felt like they were about to give out. The pounding in her head was obstructing her ability to think and her body felt like it was losing heat at a rapid pace.

'Someone...help...please'. Her last thoughts faded away as everything went black.

**A/N:** Hehe, cliffy! I hope you guys enjoyed it! More to come soon x]


	4. Chapter 4: Savior

That Summer

**Chapter 4:** **Savior**

A silver haired boy was busy on lifeguard duty when a boy came rushing over, yelling out to everyone.

"A girl's drowning!! My brother saw her and she went under! Someone has to save her!"

Suddenly, the lifeguard was alert, and sure enough, there was a bit of disturbed water in the area the boy had pointed. He took off at top speed and dove head first into the water. After a few seconds of swimming around, he spotted a girl's body slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor. He grabbed her around her middle and swam as fast as he could to the shore.

Miroku and Sango had noticed all the commotion and went over to see what was happening. Sure enough, they saw the life guard carrying Kagome's limp body out of the water.

He laid her out on the beach's shore, shooing the surrounding crowd away. "Give her some space! She needs air!" The life guard looked down and realized that he had met the girl somewhere before. 'Kagome...?'

Sango raced over to her friend and knelt down next to him. "Is she going to be okay? Please, tell me that she's going to be alright!"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I promise."

Sango could only nod, but her hands were shaking. She knew that Kagome had been through a similiar experience before and was worried that things wouldn't be okay a second time. 'I should have went with her. I should have been there...'

Just then, Miroku appeared behind her and hugged her around her waist. "Don't worry Sango. She'll pull through."

Sango turned around and buried her face into his chest, silently sobbing. He was just as worried about Kagome as she was but he knew he had to be strong for the both of them.

The life guard checked Kagome's pulse, and although it was there, it was very faint. She wasn't breathing, so he tilted back her chin and began performing cpr. After a few breaths and compressions, Kagome finally came to. Her body racked with strong coughs as she tried to gather as much air as possible. In her state of shock, she grabbed onto Inuyasha, holding on as tight as she could.

"Please..don't leave me! I don't want things to be this way...not again!" She sobbed as she desperately clung on to his body.

Unsure of how to react, Inuyasha tentatively wrapped his arms around her in order to soothe her. "It's okay, Kagome. Everything's fine now. You're safe so you don't have to worry."

When it seemed like Kagome had calmed down, she slowly released him but was then attacked by Sango.

"Kagome, you're alright!! Stupid, don't make me worry like that ever again, okay?" Kagome laughed weakly, but embraced her back as well.

Miroku joined in on the group hug, equally relieved that their friend was all right.

Kagome turned to the life guard that had saved her and realized that it was Inuyasha. 'Oh, it was him...' Although she was grateful that he had saved her life, she still held a slight grudge against him from the other day.

"Thanks..." she muttered, not as happily as he would have wanted.

"Hey, I just saved your life. You should at least be a bit more grateful." He started to get angry again, but decided now wasn't the time.

"Who says I wasn't?" she countered back. "I just wish it wasn't you who did it."

The last bit made him lose it all. "Well you know what? Next time, I guess I'll just let you drown then!"

"See if I care!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!!"

With that, the two took off in opposite directions of the beach; Inuyasha to his life guard post and Kagome back to were they had all set up. "Come on you guys. I don't want to stay at this place any longer."

Miroku and Sango were both speechless as to the encounter that had just occured.

"I'm guessing that's the guy that Kags was talking about last night," he whispered to her.

"Yeah, I bet you're right. I think it's best if we do what she says," Sango whispered back. She also knew that whenever Kagome was in a bad mood, it was smart not to irritate her.

They all gathered their stuff and followed behind the storming Kagome, who had almost made it to the car. After packing everything away, Miroku and Sango got in the car and drove home. Kagome just sat in the back sulking about everything that had happened.

'Stupid Inuyasha. He always makes me so angry!...But, I guess it was my fault for yelling at him like that. After all, he did save my life.'

The sudden thought caused Kagome to feel guilty and she sunk lower in her seat. When she was mad, she never seemed to think straight and normally said things that she'd regret later on.

xoxoxoxoxo

Meanwhile, back at the beach, Inuyasha had resumed his life guarding position. He was still steaming after his encounter with Kagome and didn't know what to do with himself.

'That ungrateful wench. She should have at least appreciated the fact that I saved her life. Well, it's not like I'll ever do that again. Hell, I can't even believe that I was worried about her....wait, me worried? Never in a million years...stupid, wench.'

Just then, Kikyo pulled up in her pink mini coupe. "Inuyasha, baby! I've come here you see yoouu!"

Inuyasha turned and saw that she was carefully making her way down the beach and heading to meet him. He wasn't really in the mood for talking, but he didn't want Kikyo to know that.

She finally made it to the post and looked over Inuyasha's face. His mouth was shaped into a frown and his eyes were glaring at the water.

"Inu-kins, are you...angry at me?" She asked while pouting.

"No, it's not you Kiks. It's just some stupid thing that happened today, but don't worry about it."

Her facial expression changed and she was automatically happy again. "Well, come down here and show me how happy you are to see me."

Inuyasha made his way down and kissed her on the lips. She responded by pressing her body firmly against his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She was very forceful today, but he wasn't really in the mood, so he just kept his hands on her waist. Kikyo noticed his lack of responsiveness, but continued showering kisses all over his face. She went in for another kiss on his lips, but he pulled away.

"Today's not a good day for this. Sorry, but this beach is pissing me off. I've got to go." He headed in the direction of the lifeguarding station at the corner of the beach, leaving Kikyo alone and in a very pissed off mood.

**A/N:** Another one's done. I hoped you liked it :D Remember, reviews mean faster updates ^^


	5. Chapter 5: Apology

That Summer

Thanks to everyone who reviewed ^^ I love you all! Here's the next chapter just for you guys.

**Chapter 5: Apology**

The next morning at breakfast, Kagome still wasn't looking right. Sango had noticed that she had been quiet all of the night before and decided now was a time to intervene.

"Kagome Higurashi! If you don't put a smile on right now, I might do something I'll regret!"

Kagome looked up at her friend and smiled weakly, but Sango knew it was just an act.

Sango sucked in a breath to calm herself a bit so she wouldn't blow up again. "Look Kagome," she sighed. "If you really feel so bad about what happened yesterday you should just go and apologize to-"

"Heck no! I'll never do that," Kagome interrupted, getting angry in order to cover up her guilt.

Sango opened her mouth to speak but Miroku decided to intervene. "Kagome, be reasonable here. I know you're pissed at him and all, but he did save your life. If he hadn't gotten there in time, you could have died! Look at things from our perspective for a bit."

Kagome shut up then and went back to not talking again. The guilt was overwhelming her and she knew that apologizing would be the right thing to do, no matter how much she didn't like Inuyasha.

"Fine," she muttered just enough so both her friends could hear. "I'll apologize. But that doesn't mean I'll like it."

"That's all we ask," Miroku said as both he and Sango let out sighs of relief.

"And hurry it up too. I want my best friend back, okay?" Sango gave her a fake glare, making Kagome laugh slightly.

"Okay, I will."

"Oh, and there's something else I want you to do too," Sango said with an evil smirk.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kagome made it to the beach a few hours after she had finished breakfast. She insisted that Sango and Miroku not come, else she turn her wrath on them after her "apology" with Inuyasha was over. Plus, she figured they probably wanted to spend some time alone.

She weaved her way through beach umbrellas and sunbathing teens in order to find Inuyasha's location. Kagome spotted him at the lifeguard post close to the middle of the beach. Sucking in a breath, she made her way over, slower than intended. _What the heck am I nervous about? It's just Inuyasha. I'll just go over, say I'm sorry, and then leave when it's all said and done._

While she was thinking, she didn't realize that Inuyasha had already noticed her. He had sensed her presence as she was coming up. When he saw her, a frown formed on his face. _What the hell is she doing here?_

Looking up, Kagome stared into Inuyasha's cold, amber eyes. She almost wanted to give up right then, but she knew that Sango would just drag her right back.

"What the hell do you want?" Inuyasha spat out. Yesterday's event was still fresh in his mind and looking at Kagome now made him have bad thoughts.

Controlling her anger, Kagome began to speak. "Look, I came to...to..."

"To what? Spit it out already, wench. I don't have time for this."

"I CAME TO APOLOGIZE FOR YESTERDAY YOU ASS!" Kagome yelled, unable to take his insults any longer. "Wow, I don't even know why I came here. I knew you'd just be a jerk like you always are. You never change, do you Inuyasha? I can't believe you could be so heartless!"

She stormed off in the other direction leaving Inuyasha shocked and speechless.

_I knew it! I just knew this would happen,_ Kagome thought as bumped into a surfer, spilling the drink he was carrying all over himself. She didn't hear the string of curses he yelled at her because her anger clouded all else. _I can't even believe I thought for one second that he could be a half decent guy. Aargh, he's so stupid!_

"Kagome! Kagome!!"

Kagome heard her name and recognized Inuyasha's voice. She turned slightly and saw him running up the beach trying to get to her. Not wanting to deal with him any longer, she sped up her walking speed and started to run.

"Oi, wench! You know you can't outrun me," Inuyasha yelled getting angry.

"Go away!" Kagome yelled back, running faster. Even though she knew she couldn't, she still wanted to try.

She had almost made it to the end of the beach when she felt someone grab her arm and pull her back toward them. Since Inuyasha was a hanyou, he caught up without a sweat.

"What do you want, Inuyasha? Freaking let me go already!" She tried to pull her arm away but although it was gentle, his grip was firm, so her attempts were to no avail.

"Not until you stay still and stop trying to get away from me."

Giving up with a sigh, Kagome stopped struggling. "Fine, I'll listen to you. But if you piss me off again I swear I'm gone."

Inuyasha nodded and cautiously let her go. "You have to promise not to interrupt me at all or I'll grab you again."

"What are you-"

"Just promise me, okay?"

"Fine, whatever. Just tell me what you were gonna say."

He paused for a second before speaking again. "First off, I really didn't appreciate that heartless comment you made back there. You had no right to say that since I saved you the other day, dammit."

"Inuyasha, you-"

"Ah! Didn't I say don't interrupt?" He glared at her, which shut her up again. "Secondly, I wasn't the only one who was a jerk you know. Must I remind you that **you **were the one who started it all."

"Why you-"

"And thirdly," he said, ignoring the I'm-going-to-kill-you look on her face, "I'll forget about what happened yesterday, so don't worry about it. Just don't go swimming out in the ocean all by yourself like that stupid. It's obvious you can't swim."

Kagome was about to blow up again but stopped herself. She knew that this was probably the only type of apology she would get out of him, and chose to let it go.

"I'll learn eventually...but I'm glad this is all done with. Don't you have to go back to your post or something?"

"Nah, one of the guys I work with took my shift for a while. I said I'd be back in a bit so he was cool with it."

"Oh, I see."

"Ya."

They both settled into an awkward silence, not knowing what to say. It seemed that arguing was the only way that they were able to communicate.

Kagome thought back to what Sango said before she left and dreaded it. Her friend was definitely out to get her. She knew she had to ask Inuyasha, but she didn't want to see how he'd react. Heck, she didn't even know how to tell him. But she knew Sango would be pissed if she didn't, so she really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Um, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, what is it?" He noticed Kagome face twist into a frown, like she was having a hard time getting out her thoughts.

_Here goes nothing._ "...Before I say anything, don't think this was my idea, okay? It's all Sango's stupid fault!"

"Uh...okay. What the heck are you trying to say?"

Kagome looked down at her feet, not wanting to see his reaction. "Since you saved my life and all, Sango wanted me to thank you."

"Didn't you already say that you were sorry already?"

"Yeah, but **Sango** thinks that's not enough." _Oh just spit it out already. _"We're going to Universal Studios tomorrow and...shewantedmetoinviteyou!"

Inuyasha looked confused since he couldn't really understand what she had just said. "What was that?"

"Gaah, pay attention will you!!" Kagome was getting mad and embarrassed at the same time. Why did she have to be the one to invite him? Sango could have very well done it herself. But friends just love to torture you don't they?

"Well I can't exactly do that when your mumbling, smart one."

"Ah, screw it!" It really was now or never. "Sango wanted me to invite you to go with us to Universal Studios tomorrow. I mean you, saved my life and all, and it's not like I'm ungrateful, which I'm not. But she's just trying to torture me with this, since she knows that we aren't the greatest communicators in the world. And ya, that's it! So do you want to come or not?"

Kagome braced herself for his reaction. She knew that she rambled when she got nervous, so he probably thought she was an idiot. Maybe he already thought that though. What she didn't expect was for him to burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard that he was clutching at his sides, falling on the ground. That was definitely not the reaction she expected, and seeing him laugh at her pissed her off. "What the hell is so funny?"

"It's just...you were..." He tried to catch his breath, but was having a hard time.

Not one to enjoy being made fun of, Kagome tackled him and began pounding his chest. "It's not funny! So what if I ramble when I'm nervous. It's habit! Habit I tell you!!"

Inuyasha finally calmed down and noticed that Kagome was hitting him pretty hard for a girl. "Geez, that hurts, wench."

He flipped their positions, towering over her, and grabbed her arms, pinning them at her sides. "You never let me answer the question."

Kagome remained quiet and stared up at him. His face was dangerously close to hers, causing her face to turn beet red. There was no way to escape. "L-let me go already. Just...h-hurry up and tell me okay?"

He thought for a couple moments, and decided. "Fine, I'll go. I'm make sure you'll have a wonderful day tomorrow!" He gave her an overly cheerful smile, which made her heart sink. She knew that he would most likely make the day hell on earth for her._ Why Sango? Why??_

"Okay, whatever. Just get off me already!!" Just then, Inuyasha noticed the positions they were in and quickly got up. He was blushing slightly but cleared his throat in order to brush it off. Kagome was busy brushing sand off her body and failed to notice.

"So uh, how is this all gonna work out?"

"Well, tomorrow you'll meet over at our place and then we'll all drive over there. I need to give you the address..." She searched around for a piece of paper but where do you find paper on the beach?

Inuyasha spotted a notebook and pen lying next to someone's beach things and stealthy ripped out a page.

"Here. Write it on this," he said simply, handing it and the pen to Kagome.

She scribbled it down and handed it back. "And we'll be leaving around 8 so make sure to be there by then got it?"

"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha muttered. He wasn't an early riser and knew that he'd have a hard time getting up. He had a big reputation for being late to things.

"Oh and one other thing." Kagome thought back to the other thing Sango said. Although she really didn't want to, she knew she'd probably have to ask. "You can bring...Kikyo too if you want." Just saying her name left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Amusement parks aren't really her thing. If it were the mall or something she'd most likely go. I'll ask her though."

"Okay, then."

"Yep."

Another awkward silence passed and Kagome pulled out her cell phone. She looked at the time and gasped. She didn't realize how late it was getting.

"Well, I've got to go. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay...well bye then." Kagome waved slightly and started walking back up to end of the beach.

Inuyasha nodded his head back at her and looked down at the address in his hand.

"Heh, I'll see you tomorrow all right." He smirked and headed back to the lifeguard post. Kagome didn't know what she was in for.

**A/N:** Yay, finally done! I know this one didn't have a lot of things going on, but next chapter will be more exciting. So remember to review :)


	6. Chapter 6: Universal Studios

That Summer

Okay, here's the next chapter! Thanks again to the reviewers ^^ And just to clear something up (since I don't think I mentioned this in the first chapter), Kagome and crew live in Tampa and Inuyasha lives in Orlando (where Sango's beach house is located.)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter or in any other future chapters.

**Chapter 6: Universal Studios**

The next morning came sooner than Kagome expected. She was still asleep when Sango tried to shake her awake.

"Kagome, hurry and get up already! You can't sleep all day you know. We need to get going!"

Kagome mumbled and rolled over, brushing Sango's arm off with her hand. "Not ready yet...five more minutes..."

Sango sighed and glanced over at the clock. It was already 7:45 and Kagome still wasn't awake. "Well fine. If you don't want to get up I'll just make Inuyasha do it," she whispered in her ear.

Kagome's eyes flew open and she rapidly pushed off the covers of her bed.

"Oh crap! I forgot he's coming."

She raced into the bathroom and slammed the door. Sango laughed and began making her way out of the room. "You've only got ten minutes to get ready, so hurry it up," she yelled stopping at the door. She heard the shower water already running and assumed that Kagome hadn't heard her. Sango shrugged and made her way down the stairs.

After taking a quick shower, Kagome headed to her closet and looked for an outfit. Sango had told her the day before to wear something edgy, but she was having a hard time finding the right outfit. _I wonder what she's planning now. _After a few minutes of mental debating, she chose a red, off-the-shoulder tee that said, "Rock star" across the front and black, ripped skinny jeans. She grabbed her black converses and slipped them on before heading to the bathroom to apply the finishing touches. Just as she finished applying eyeliner, the doorbell rang._ He's here._ She groaned and added a touch of lip gloss to her lips.

"Kagome, Inuyasha's here! We've got to go now!' Sango yelled.

"Okay, coming!"

As she headed down the stairs, she could hear Inuyasha grumbling about how only stupid wenches take too long to get ready.

"What was that, you jerk?" Kagome hissed as she met everyone in front of the door.

Inuyasha was about to insult her again, but his words caught in his mouth as he took in her appearance. _Damn, she looks hot. Wait, it's Kagome we're talking about here. The stupid wench right?...She does look pretty good in that outfit though... _

While Inuyasha was checking her out, Kagome was checking him out as well. He had on a black Metallica tee with black baggy jeans that sagged just the right amount. His shirt fit him well so she could tell that he had a toned body. He was also wearing black converses. _Argh, why does he have to look so hot? He's such a jerk but he has to be good looking too??_ Her thoughts were interrupted when Inuyasha snapped at her.

"What the heck are you staring at, wench?" He grunted, annoyance clear in his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing. I hope you didn't drool all over yourself. Oh wait, do I see a bit on your chin?"

Inuyasha just about lost it before Sango stepped in. "Okay you guys. Can you not fight for at least five minutes?? Save your flirting for later," she added with a smile.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha were shocked speechless before they both recovered.

"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!" They both yelled at the same time.

"Whatever you guys say," Miroku teased as he led Sango out the door and out toward the car. "Now the seating arrangements are as follows; Sango will sit in the front with me and you two will have to share the back. Got it?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both grumbled, muttering curses as they nodded and headed into the car.

Sango sighed. "What are we going to do with those two?"

Miroku shrugged and laughed lightly as he headed over to the driver's seat.

xoxoxoxoxo

The drive up was anything but silent. Kagome and Inuyasha bickered the whole way and at one point, Miroku threatened to pull the car over and head home. That shut them both up.

They arrived at Universal Studios a few minutes later and it was pretty packed. It took them a while to find a parking space but they managed and headed inside with their tickets in hand.

"So where to first?" Miroku asked while examining his map of the park.

Kagome looked over Inuyasha's shoulder at his map, since they had been forced to share. Before she could make a suggestion, Inuyasha interrupted.

"Lets go on this," he said pointing to the Revenge of the Mummy ride. She read the description and quickly suggested otherwise.

"H-how about not. Maybe we can go to....to that shooting thing! Y-yeah, that's much better don't you think, Sango?"

Kagome turned but Sango and Miroku were nowhere in sight.

"Sango? Miroku? Where the heck are you!" She started to look around frantically, while Inuyasha muttered curses.

"Feh, seems like they've left us. That's just great. Now I have to be stuck in this damn park with you."

Kagome threw him a glare, but ignored the comment while dialing Sango's number. She picked up after the second ring.

"Yeeesss?" She asked slowly. Kagome grew angry because her voice sounded like she was about to laugh any minute.

"Where are you?! Why did you have to leave me with this jerk?!"

"Don't worry Kags. It'll be a good experience for you. Plus, you'll get to spend more time with Inuyasha. I'm just looking out for you." Kagome could tell that she was really trying hard to hold it in.

"Sango," she threatened," Not if, but when I find you, you are going to regret it, BIG TIME!"

Sango just laughed. "Okay, Kags. Have fun now!" She hung up before Kagome could argue further.

"Well, it looks like we're stuck this way. Might as well get this day over with," she grumbled.

Inuyasha, however, wasn't listening and started walking toward the ride he suggested. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome hurried to catch up to him.

"Can't you wait for a second? Geez, don't just walk off whenever you feel like it."

"Well you were taking too long." Inuyasha started to get in the line for the Mummy. "You coming or what?"

Kagome stopped for a moment and stared at the sign. She couldn't see the actual ride since it was inside, but she knew what kind it was. The kind she hated. Kagome was never one for thrills. She never liked them when she was little, and still didn't now. After finding out that this ride was a rollercoaster, she had definitely wanted to do something safer. But Inuyasha seemed like the type who loved them. Plus she had nowhere else to go since Sango ditched her.

"A-are you sure you don't...don't want to ride something else?" She was hoping he'd say yes, but of course she was wrong.

"Nope. Now hurry up!" He was almost to the gate, so it was now or never. Right before he entered, she managed to catch up and they went in together. She knew before they went in that she'd hate it.

xoxoxoxoxo

"HAHA! That was hilarious!"

Inuyasha was cracking up laughing, while Kagome was as white as a sheet. They had just gotten off the ride and she looked as though she was dead. It was all the things that she hated; dark and scary, with things jumping out at her. It even went backwards, something she never expected.

Inuyasha had made his way to a nearby bench, since at the moment, standing proved difficult. He was still laughing like there was no tomorrow.

After a few minutes he finally stopped, and noticed that Kagome was still standing there, still pale.

"Hey...are you okay?"

She tried to speak but nothing came out. Concerned, he went over to her and helped her over to the bench he had just occupied.

"Earth to Kagome," he said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you still in there?"

She turned to him slowly, and without warning, punched him hard in his side.

"What the hell?! What was that for?"

"It's all your fault you jerk!" she screamed at him.

Inuyasha looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "How the hell is it my fault? I didn't even do anything!" he yelled back.

Ignoring him, she continued to pound on him, tears forming in her eyes. "How dare you make me ride that? You should now that I'm dead scared of thrill rides and that was the worst! It's all your fault!!"

He grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides. "How was I supposed to know that? You didn't even say anything!"

Struggling, she continued rambling. "Well I hinted it but you didn't listen. You just had to ride that freaking ride. It's all your fault..." She was running out of energy, still due from shock, and started sobbing quietly.

Inuyasha looked at her crying form and decided against yelling back. She was spent and he knew it. _Damn...so much for my plan. _Originally, he had intended to make this day miserable for her, but looking at her now, he didn't feel that up to it anymore. He released her arms and thought for a minute before pulling her into a hug.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? I didn't know you were scared or anything." He stroked her hair until she had calmed down. They sat like that for a moment, before he released her.

"I...I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said quietly. "It's just something that bothers me."

"Well warn me next time, wench." He said gently.

She looked up at him and nodded before standing again. "So what do you want to do now?"

Inuyasha looked back over his map. There were tons of rides he really wanted to go on, but thought against it because of Kagome's fear. "How about you choose one." He handed her the map, slightly annoyed that he wouldn't be able to ride any of them.

Kagome thought it over for a bit. She didn't want to ruin Inuyasha's day but at the same time, she was scared of the things he wanted to ride. Putting her fear aside for a second, she chose one.

"We can go on...Jaws if you want," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

She sucked in a breath. "I said we could ride Jaws if you wanted to."

Inuyasha looked her over. Although he badly wanted to ride it, he knew that she'd be scared and he didn't want to be yelled at again. "No way. You'd just yell again like you did for this one."

"I-I can handle it!" She tried to put on a tough act, but it wasn't exactly working. "I don't want to ruin this day for you...it wouldn't be fair. So I'll go on it, okay? And don't tell me no again.

He thought for a minute before making up his mind. "Fine, we'll go on that one. But are you sure you can handle it?"

Kagome hesitated, but slowly nodded.

Inuyasha smiled a bit. "Okay then. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and sped off in the direction of the ride before she could change her mind.

xoxoxoxoxo

After a series of both thrill and non-thrill rides, both Kagome and Inuyasha were getting tired. Inuyasha found that he had to balance out both so that Kagome could handle them all.

"Well, that was fun. Don't you think?" He asked smiling at her.

She had a blank expression on her face, but after a while she slowly nodded. "Yeah, now that I think about it, it wasn't too bad..." Slowly a smile formed on her face. Soon, her phone began vibrating indicating that Sango was calling her.

"Hello?"

"So have lots of fun by yourselves kiddies?" Sango asked, clearly enjoying herself.

"...It was alright," Kagome mumbled, trying to hide the truth.

"HAH! I knew you'd have fun. Well look on you're map and meet us at the plaza. You'll be in for a surprise!"

Before Kagome could ask anymore, the line went dead.

"So what's the plan?" Inuyasha asked, eager to move on to the next thing.

"Sango told me to meet her at the plaza. Something about a surprise."

"Okay, well lets go and meet them then." He started walking toward the direction, leaving Kagome to trail along behind him.

After a few minutes, they made it to the plaza. What they didn't expect was a large crowd and stage, with Linkin Park about to perform. Scanning over the crowd, Kagome spotted Sango and Miroku close to the front.

"Let's go over there!" Kagome yelled trying to hear over the crowd that erupted in screams.

"What?!"

"OVER THERE!"

"WHAT?!"

Giving up, Kagome grabbed his hand and made her way through the crowd. After a bit of pushing and maneuvering, she finally made it to where Sango and Miroku were.

"What's all this? I didn't know Linkin Park was going to perform!"

Sango smiled and grabbed onto her shoulders. "I know! Isn't it awesome?! That's why I was wanting to go today."

After the shock of Linkin Park being only a few feet away from her wore off, Kagome grabbed onto Sango's shoulders and erupted into screams of delight. They both jumped up and down while the boys covered their ears, trying to drown them out.

Just then Chester yelled out to the crowd. "Are you guys ready to rock?!"

The crowd erupted in screams, indicating their answer.

"Well let's go!!"

They started off playing Faint and the crowd went crazy.

_I am a little bit of loneliness, a little bit of disregard_

_Handful of complaints but I can't help the fact_

_That everyone can see these scars_

_I am what I want you to want, what I want you to feel_

_But it's like no matter what I do_

_I can't convince you to just believe this is real_

_So, I let go watchin' you, turn your back_

_Like you always do, face away and pretend that I'm not_

_But I'll be here 'cause you are all that I've got_

_I can't feel the way I did before, don't turn your back on me_

_I won't be ignored, time won't heal this damage anymore_

_Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored_

Kagome and Sango were jumping up and down, singing along and rocking out. Miroku and Inuyasha looked like they were enjoying themselves as well.

_I am a little bit insecure, a little unconfident_

_'Cause you don't understand, I do what I can_

_But sometimes I don't make sense_

_I am what you never want to say but I've never_

_Had a doubt, it's like no matter what I do_

_I can't convince you for once just to hear me out_

_So, I let go watchin' you, turn your back_

_Like you always do, face away and pretend that I'm not_

_But I'll be here 'cause you are all that I've got_

_I can't feel the way I did before, don't turn your back on me_

_I won't be ignored, time won't heal this damage anymore_

_Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored_

_No, hear me out now, you're gonna listen to me_

_Like it or not, right now, hear me out now_

_You're gonna listen to me like it or not, right now_

_I can't feel the way I did before_

_Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored_

_I can't feel the way I did before, don't turn your back on me_

_I won't be ignored, time won't heal this damage anymore_

_Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored_

_I can't feel, I won't be ignored, time won't heal_

_Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored_

After that song ended, they went right into the next one playing New Divide.

_I remember black skies_

_And lightning all around me_

_I remembered each flash_

_As time began to burn_

_Like a startling sign_

_The feint had finally found me_

_And your voice was all I heard_

_That I get what I deserve_

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong_

_To wash this memory clean_

_Let the thoughts cross_

_The distance in your eyes_

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole_

_Ignite the space between_

_Let it be enough to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide_

_There is nothing inside_

_The memories left abandoned_

_There was nowhere to hide_

_The ashes fell like snow_

_And the ground caved in_

_Between where we were standing_

_And your voice was all I heard_

_That I get what I deserve_

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong_

_To wash this memory clean_

_Let the thoughts cross_

_The distance in your mind_

_Across this new divide_

_And every loss_

_And every lie_

_And every truth that you deny_

_And each regret_

_And each divide_

_Are some mistakes you pray to hide_

_And your voice was all I heard_

_But I get what I deserve_

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong_

_To wash this memory clean_

_Let the thoughts cross_

_The distance in your eyes_

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole_

_Connect the space between_

_Let it be enough to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide_

_Across this new divide_

_Across this new divide_

They played a few more songs after that to keep up the hype. Finally, they were down to the last song, Shadow of the Day.

_I close both locks below the window_

_I close both blinds and turn away_

_Sometimes solutions aren't so simple_

_Sometimes goodbye's the only way_

_And the sun will set for you_

_The sun will set for you_

_And the shadow of the day_

_Will embrace the world in grey_

_And the sun will set for you_

_Pink cards and flowers on your window_

_Your friends all plead for you to stay_

_Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple_

_Sometimes goodbye's the only way_

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. He looked like he was having a good time and that made her happy. Plus, he had been shockingly nice the whole day. _Maybe he isn't as big of a jerk as I thought he'd be. _Inuyasha looked over at her, a slight smirk on his face. "Am I that good looking?" he teased. Blushing, she socked him lightly in the arm.

"I've seen better," she replied smugly.

He laughed and ruffled up her hair a bit.

_And the sun will set for you_

_The sun will set for you_

_And the shadow of the day_

_Will embrace the world in grey_

_And the sun will set for you_

_And the shadow of the day_

_Will embrace the world in grey_

_And the sun will set for you_

_And the shadow of the day_

_Will embrace the world in grey_

_And the sun will set for you_

When the song had ended, the band said their thanks and everyone started dispersing. It was getting dark and people were starting to head home.

"Okay guys, you ready to get going?" Miroku asked.

Sango yawned slightly indicated that she was tired and Kagome nodded.

"Yep, let's head home."

After piling up into the car, Miroku shifted it into gear and they headed on the way back.

"So what did you guys do the whole day?" Kagome asked, thinking that talking would be able to keep her awake.

"Oh, I'm sure we did the same things you guys did. Just hanging out and stuff." Sango yawned again.

"I don't think everything we did was the same," Miroku teased, causing Sango to blush and slap him over the shoulder.

Kagome just laughed and looked over at Inuyasha who was staring out the window. She tapped him on his shoulder in order to get his attention as Sango and Miroku talked in the front.

"So did you have fun today?"

He looked over at her. "Yeah, it was cool. The best part was your face after all the thrill rides we went on." He started laughing while she glared at him and pouted.

"Aw, is Kagome mad at me?" He started poking her in the arm, just to annoy her.

"Yeah, and that's not helping matters!" She stuck her tongue out at him and turned the other way.

"I bet you won't stay mad for long," he said mischievously.

"And why is that?" She asked, turning slightly to look at him.

"Because I'm about to do this!"

He grabbed her and started tickling her sides. She squealed because he had managed to find her only ticklish spot and tried to move away, laughing uncontrollably in the process.

"Ah 'laugh' stop it! 'laugh'"

Inuyasha began laughing with her and continued despite her protests. "Well then you have to say that you're not mad anymore!"

"N-Never!!"

"Okay, then you asked for it." He continued to tickle her more until she finally gave in.

"Okay, okay! I'm not mad anymore. 'laugh' Now s-stop it already!"

He stopped tickling her and she smacked him playfully across his arm.

"Hey, what's going on back there?" Miroku asked, curious as to what had started it all.

"Nothing much, just Kagome being her usual self." Inuyasha said.

Miroku just shrugged and looked back at the road.

"You guys need to shut up...I'm trying to sleep," Sango slurred as she curled up in the front seat.

Kagome laughed quietly and leaned back against her seat, closing her eyes. "I'm glad you came today," she whispered, slowly giving in to sleep herself. "I had...a lot of fun with you."

"Same here."

After a few minutes, Kagome was finally asleep. Inuyasha looked over at her. _She's looks so peaceful. Heh, it turns out she can be pretty fun when she wants to be._ Just then, Kagome's head fell over and landed on Inuyasha's shoulder. He blushed slightly and tensed, unsure of what else to do. After a while, he relaxed and leaned his head against hers. He was a bit tired himself from the day and drifted off to sleep.

xoxoxoxoxo

Inuyasha woke up right when Miroku pulled into their driveway. While Miroku was waking Sango up, Inuyasha got out and carefully carried Kagome in his arms, trying hard not to wake her.

"Mmm....warm." She snuggled deeper into his chest, causing him to blush more.

Thanks to Sango's help, he was able to find where her room was. Once inside, he carried her over to the bed and carefully laid her down under the covers.

"Good night, Kagome," he whispered as he got up to leave. With one final glance at her sleeping figure, he quietly went out and shut the door.

**A/N:** Phew, finally done. Hope you guys liked the chapter and all it's fluff ^^ Now go and review!! xD


	7. Chapter 7: Movie Night

That Summer

**Chapter 7:** **Movie Night**

When Kagome woke up the next day, she was surprised to find herself in bed. _The last thing I remember, I was asleep in the car... _Still trying to figure out how she had gotten there, she spotted a note addressed to her on her lamp stand. Carefully unfolding it, she was shocked that it was from Inuyasha.

_Kagome,_

_Here's my number so... ya know, if you wanna hang out again, just hit me up._

_Inuyasha_

She laughed at his messy handwriting and entered the number he had given her into her phone.

"I'll make sure to do that," she said out loud while smiling to herself.

xoxoxoxoxox

A few days passed before Sango decided that they all go the movies.

"Why don't you invite Inuyasha, Kagome? I'm sure he'd just love to come!" Sango grinned, almost laughing at the red color of Kagome's face.

"That's what I was planning on doing, Sango," Kagome muttered while trying to hide her blush.

Over the past couple of days, she'd been thinking about Inuyasha, sometimes more than she wanted to. Of course it didn't help that Sango and Miroku teased her about it every second of the day. They had told her that he was the one who had carried her into her room that night. She turned red just thinking about it. _Am I... starting to like Inuyasha?! N-no way! It was just one day. That doesn't really make up for all the other days he'd treated me horribly... Aah, which one is the real him?!?!_

"So what movie are we planning on watching?" Miroku asked. He was hoping that she'd pick a horror flick or something suspenseful so that he could work his magic.

"Well, I was thinking we could all go see Transformers 2. How does that sound?"

Miroku's smile dropped but Kagome instantly piped up. "Really?! I've wanted to see that for soo long! What time or we going to go??"

Sango laughed while trying to calm her down. "Calm down Kags. I was thinking we could go tonight, maybe like around 8:30 or so."

"Great, I'll go call Inuyasha right now!" Kagome raced up the stairs, so caught up in her excitement that she didn't realize what she'd just said.

xoxoxoxoxox

Once in her room, Kagome's nerves had finally calmed as she realized what task lay before her. She was having a bit of trouble getting up the nerve to call Inuyasha. So many questions were going through her head, ending with answers she didn't like at all. _What if he doesn't pick up? What if he has some other plans and can't make it?... What if he doesn't want to go at all?? _Taking a deep breath and mustering up as much courage as she could, she dialed his number. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hey, who is this? If this is some prank, I'll find out where you live and beat the sh-"

"H-hey, it's Kagome," she replied before he could finish.

His tone softened a bit. "Oh, Kagome. What's up?"

She paused for a minute before finding her voice again. "Um, well Sango, Miroku, and I were all planning on going to the movies today and.... um, I was wondering, if you're not busy that is... like if don't have any other plans or anything..."

"Wench, just spit it out already and quit your rambling!"

"O-okay. I was wondering if you wanted to go with us... to the movies that is!" Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, clearly embarrassed with herself. She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

"Sure, I'll go with you," Inuyasha answered.

Kagome's face lit up and a smile spread across her face. "Oh really? That's great!"

"Oh and one other thing," he paused for a second. "I'm going to have to bring Kikyo. Is that alright?"

After hearing Kikyo's name, Kagome's smile fell. Of course she'd have to come too, since she was his girlfriend and all. Kagome shuddered at the thought. She had really just wanted to hang out with Inuyasha, but she didn't want to be mean. "Um, sure. She can come along... too."

"Great, then what time does the movie start?"

"It's at 8:30."

"Cool, we'll meet you guys at the theater then."

"Yeah..."

"See ya."

"Bye."

Kagome looked at her phone after he was gone and sighed out loud. _Tonight's gonna be a long night_, she thought to herself as she went downstairs to inform the others.

xoxoxoxoxox

The rest of the day passed by quickly, with shopping for a couple of hours at the mall and other stores, and before Kagome knew it, it was already 8:30. She was actually starting to dread the encounter with Kikyo as Miroku was driving up to the theater.

Sango snuck a glance at her friend's expression. "Don't worry so much about it, Kags. I'm sure she's not as bad as you think she is."

Miroku grinned to himself. "Yeah, I bet she's good looking too."

_SMACK! _"Hehe, j-just kidding Sango."

Without even looking at him, she turned the other way with a huff. "Stupid pervert."

Kagome didn't say anything however, keeping all of her thoughts to herself. _You guys don't even know the half of it. Just wait until you meet her, then you'll see. _A couple minutes passed and Miroku finally pulled into a parking space.

"Here we are ladies."

Kagome slowly unbuckled her seat belt and just as slowly, got out of the car. They had parked a bit from the front because of the limited parking spaces, so they had to walk a ways before they got to the entrance. If Kagome looked hard enough, she could see a pair of ears on top of a silver head of hair, lost inside the crowd lined up for tickets. As they got closer though, she could see that next to those ears was something she'd rather not mention.

When both Inuyasha and Kikyo came to into view, Kagome was seriously considering going back. When Inuyasha's eyes met hers she had almost stopped, but she knew that her friends would question her and just drag her along anyway. Sure enough, she found herself in front of him, with Kikyo attached to his side, glaring daggers at her.

"Hey Inuyasha. Long time no see!" Sango said.

"Yeah, long time huh." Inuyasha stole a glance at Kagome, but she just smiled weakly at him and turned her eyes away. Kikyo's attention was still fully directed at her. "Oh, before I forget. This is Kikyo, my g-"

"I'm his **girlfriend**!! Sooo nice to meet you guys!" Kikyo gave them all a small wave and continued to cling of to Inuyasha's arm.

Sango nodded her head slowly. "O-oh, nice to meet you... right, Miroku?"

Miroku however was too busy staring at anything but Kikyo's face. She was wearing a super revealing outfit, complete with a tight mini-skirt and low cut, belly exposing top. Agitated by his reaction, Sango pinched him as hard a she could on his arm, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Ah, y-yes!! So nice to meet you Kikyo... oh so very nice." He whispered the last bit to himself, lest Sango unleash all of her fury upon him.

"Yashie poo, I'm so tiiired of standing here. Can't we just go inside now?? Please??" She began pouting and putting on a baby act.

"Sure, you guys ready?" Inuyasha asked. He was still trying to figure out what was up with Kagome before Sango responded again.

"Yeah, we better go before I murder someone," she said glaring a Miroku, who had a very scared expression on his face. "Come on Kagome."

Sango grabbed her hand and walking towards the front, leaving Miroku to trail behind with Inuyasha and Kikyo to follow.

xoxoxoxoxox

The inside of the theater was packed, since it was the opening night of the movie. Without too much trouble, the gang luckily found out five seats that were out near the middle row. The seating arrangements were as follows: Kikyo, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku. Right before they sat down though, Kagome felt like stalling again and used getting food and drinks as an excuse.

"Uh... I can go get the snacks and stuff you guys," she said, just as everyone was sitting down.

Sango looked at her for a moment. "Are you sure, Kags? It'll be a lot of stuff to carry. We can just get it on our own."

"Oh, don't worry Sango. I'm already standing so it's not a problem or anything."

Sango was still hesitant, but Inuyasha decided to step in.

He stood up, much to Kagome's surprise. "I'll go with her. You know, to help her carry the everything."

Glad that someone would help her, Sango nodded. "Okay, fine with me." Kikyo however, wasn't too keen on the idea.

"Why does Yashie poo have to go with her? She can handle it herself." She grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.

Inuyasha sighed. "It won't take long, Kiks. I'll be back in a few minutes so don't worry about it."

Kagome looked at her with disgust. _I can't believe Inuyasha would even put up with this girl. Seriously, what does he see in her?_ She turned away, unable to stay any longer.

"Whatever, if it's such a big deal, you can just stay. I'm fine by myself." She left, leaving Inuyasha to hurry after her.

Once in the lobby, Inuyasha pulled her off to the side.

"Inuyasha, wha-"

"We need to talk." He stared into her eyes, daring her to challenge him.

Kagome simply nodded and prepared to listen.

"What's going on with you? You barely speak to me when I get here and now you're acting like this. I don't understand."

She looked away, unable face him anymore. "It's nothing," she mumbled to the ground.

"Kagome, look at me, damn it." He hissed, annoyed that she brushed off the subject.

Kagome became mad herself. "Well, what do you want me to say Inuyasha." _That I'm super happy your girlfriend's a bitch?_ She knew if she said what the real problem was, things would just turn from bad to worse.

"I want you to tell me the truth!" He yelled.

Kagome knew from past experience that yelling back wouldn't exactly solve anything, no matter how mad she was. "Look Inuyasha," she said with a sigh. "I'm fine okay? I'm just not feeling well is all. So can we just drop it and go back in? The others are probably waiting." Technically, what she said hadn't been a lie. Kikyo could make a person's stomach turn any day.

He stared at her with a frown on his face, trying to figure out what she was trying to hide. Her eyes looked back, pleading him to let it go. Letting out a breath himself, he turned his gaze from her and faced away.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Let's just go get the food."

The wait while in the line was awkwardly silent, neither person speaking to the other. Once they had gotten their popcorn and drinks, the pair headed back inside still without a word. The air around the group was tense on both sides once the movie started. Inuyasha was practically being molested in his chair by Kikyo, and Kagome was trying her best not to break the arm rests of her chair, paying little attention to the movie in front of her. Sango on the other hand was annoyed that Miroku kept sneaking chances to grope her whenever she was distracted.

However, near the middle Kagome just forgot all else and decided her enjoyment was the most important thing. Screw Kikyo and all she was worth. She'd wanted to watch this movie since it was announced and she sure as hell wasn't going to have it spoiled. It seemed Sango felt the same way too since halfway through, Miroku seemed to be "asleep".

When the movie finally ended, Kagome was happier than she had been earlier that night. As they were walking out, she and Sango discussed their favorite parts with Miroku in tow, while Inuyasha and Kikyo trailed behind.

Kikyo stopped him a few steps behind the group, and leaned in close. "Hey, Yashie poo," she whispered into his ear, while lightly nibbling on it. "Why don't we just ditch them and go somewhere... private."

A bit annoyed that she had messed with him the whole movie, he moved out of her grasp. "Listen, Kikyo. I'm not really in the mood right now. Let me just go say goodbye to them and I'll take you home, so just wait in the car." He gave her the keys and walking off before she could complain again.

Once they had gotten to the car, Kagome turned around to find Inuyasha. She saw him coming up to her and knew that she had to say something. The night hadn't exactly been the best she'd ever had, and she knew that she needed to make things right again.

She walked over to him. "Inuyasha... about earlier. I really wasn't mad at you or anything. Honestly, I just wasn't feeling well and-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not mad anymore." He said, not really looking straight at her.

Kagome noticed this and knew that he was lying. "Inuyasha..."

"Look, I'm okay... just annoyed that you blew me off like that."

Kagome thought she saw a bit of hurt flash across his face, but it was only for an instant. She thought for a minute before thinking of an idea.

"Okay, fine. How can I make it up to you then?"

He looked shocked for a moment noticing the sincerity in her eyes. After thinking it over, he finally came up with an answer.

"Fine, come by my house tomorrow at 11. And make sure to bring a swimsuit, got it?"

Kagome looked confused for a second, then curious to what he was planning. "Why a swimsuit?"

The grin on his face suddenly turned mischievous and he decided to evade her question. "Don't worry, just do it. Oh and before I forget, here's the address to my house." He pulled out a sharpie from his pocket and wrote it on her hand. "Don't forget it and don't be late...or else."

With a small wave to Sango and Miroku, he hurried off before Kagome had a chance to ask anymore questions.

**A/N:** So wonder what Inuyasha's planning?? Well...you'll have to find out later ^^ And next chapter Sesshy makes his appearance. So don't forget to tune in and review!!


	8. Chapter 8: Inuyasha's Master Plan

That Summer

**Chapter 8: Inuyasha's Master Plan**

The whole night, Kagome was plagued with bad thoughts about what Inuyasha had in store for her. By the look on his face the previous night, he most likely had something evil planned. In the morning, she looked as though she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Sango and Miroku noticed this as she walked down the stairs for breakfast.

Sango looked up from her bowl of Apple Jacks to question Kagome's appearance. "What's eating you? Didn't sleep well?"

Kagome glanced in her direction and nodded slightly. Ignoring Miroku's questioning looks, she just grabbed a bowl and poured herself some, all the while looking as though she'd drift off any second. With a shrug, Sango decided to change the subject.

"So what's the plan for today guys?"

Kagome groaned, causing all heads to look at her again. "I have to spend the day with Inuyasha. This is just great..." She put one hand to her forehead while the other used her spoon to mess around with her cereal.

"Well, at least it'll just be the two of you and not Kikyo," Miroku added, turning his attention back to his food.

Kagome let out a sigh. Well, it really would be nice that Kikyo wouldn't be there. So maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

"So what time are you supposed to head over there?" Sango asked.

Kagome slowly looked up at her friend. "Well, he said that I needed to be there at 11... oh and something about not being late." She was having a hard time remembering all that he said due to her drowsiness.

"So you've got a few hours. And Miroku and I can go drive you up there. Right, Miroku?" Sango turned toward him.

Miroku simply nodded, since his mouth was full of cereal. Kagome nodded as well and decided that she wasn't all that hungry.

"Well since I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, I'll try to get some now." She slowly got up from her chair and put her bowl into the sink. "Can you guys wake me up like an hour or so before we leave?"

"Yep, sure thing," Sango assured her. "Just get your beauty sleep and we'll tell you when it's time. Now go to bed!" She dragged her friend back up to bed before she could protest.

xoxoxoxoxox

Kagome had been sleeping for what seemed like hours until she heard Sango's screaming voice trying to wake her up. "Kagome!! We have to go now! Oh, you're so late..."

Glancing over at the time, Kagome almost fell over. The clock read 11:05, which meant she was already five minutes past the time Inuyasha told her to come. Jumping out from under the covers, she raced over to her closet and began yanking out the nearest swimsuit she could find. Throwing on a t-shirt and a sarong, she slipped on her flip-flops and grabbed Sango's hand.

"Why didn't you tell me to wake up before this!" She screamed as she dashed down the length of the stairs, dragging Sango along behind her.

Sango barely miss-stepped which would have led to a full on collision. "Aah, it's not my fault! It's all Miroku's!" She yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Miroku. He in turn looked utterly shocked at her assumption.

He held his hands up, like he was an innocent suspect. "What did I do?" Not bothering to answer him, Sango turned her head away with a very apparent blush spread across. Without even having to ask, Kagome had a good idea of what had happened.

"Well next time you guys have a make-out session, warn me ahead of time will you!! Inuyasha is so going to chew my head off for this." Kagome hurriedly ran to grab the keys to Miroku's car and threw them his way. With his poor coordination however, he didn't catch them and they slid under the couch. "Oh for goodness sake, Miroku. Learn how to catch!"

After about a two-minute search for them, the three hurried into his car and sped off in the direction of Inuyasha's address. When they arrived at their destination, it was far from anything they'd expected. In front of them stood a huge mansion complete with a surrounding, metal gate, wide open front yard, and an added in fountain. There were also cameras lining the gate leading to the entrance. Even though she'd never asked, Kagome hadn't figured Inuyasha as the rich type. But then again, considering his personality, he could definitely qualify as one.

Miroku let out a low whistle while glancing over the house, bringing everyone out of their sudden shock. Sango too cleared her throat and turned her attention toward her friend.

"Okay, well now that we're here, don't you have somewhere you need to be." She pointed to the digital clock on the car, which now read 11:25. Panic began to register again across Kagome's face and she gathered up all her stuff in a rush.

"Oooh, he is definitely going to kill me this time. Bye, you guys!" She jumped out of the car and hurried over to the entrance, turning back at the last second to wave as her friends drove away. Looking up at the security camera, she cautiously made her way to the call box near the gate entrance.

She pressed the button on it to speak. "U-um, hello?" She let out a slight squeal as the voice on the other end responded faster than she'd expected.

The voice responded in a bored tone from the other end. "Yes, may I ask who you are and what you're here for?"

"K-Kagome Higurashi. I'm here to see Inuyasha Takahashi..."

There was a brief pause before the voice spoke again. "Please wait while the doors open and proceed inside."

The doors creaked open with a lurch, surprising Kagome for a second. She hurriedly said thanks and proceeded through the gate. Once she was inside, she was greeted by someone who looked like a butler; a very short butler at that.

"Hello, young lady. My name is Myouga and I'm in charge of the work around here." Kagome nodded while he continued to smile up at her. "If you would kindly take a seat, Master Inuyasha will be with you in just a moment." He led her over to the nearest chair and proceeded up the stairs. Sure enough, it wasn't long before she could hear Inuyasha's arrival.

He started yelling as soon as he spotted her. "Where the hell have you been? Do you know what time it is, wench?"

Kagome shrank a bit under the sound of his voice but tried to explain herself. "Look, Inuyasha. The thing is that-"

"I don't wanna hear what happened!" He yelled again, cutting her off. "I told you not to be late and what do you do? You're late!"

Kagome couldn't stand it any longer and stood up to meet his face. Like hell he'd try to yell at her when it wasn't even her fault. "Inuyasha, will you just shut the fuck up for five seconds and let me explain!"

Inuyasha immediately grew silent, shocked that Kagome could use such profanity.

"I was up all night because of **you **stupid, so I didn't get any sleep. I just took a quick nap and Sango forgot to wake me up. That's what happened so just get over yourself for once in your freaking life!" With that, she went over and sat down in the nearest chair, ignoring his gaze.

There was a pregnant pause before Inuyasha spoke again. "Well if that was all..." His voice trailed off, just as Kagome turned back to look at him.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." Not knowing what to say, he just grunted and looked away. Just then, a little girl's head peered out from the corner of the wall and caught Kagome's attention. "Who's that little one?" she asked, pointing out the child to Inuyasha. Having been spotted, the little head disappeared, hidden from view.

He looked in the direction that Kagome had pointed. "Feh, it's probably just Rin hiding around back there. Rin, come on out!"

After a few seconds, the head slowly appeared again, this time with the full body in view. The little girl moved shyly over to where Inuyasha stood, and upon seeing Kagome, hid behind his legs. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and nudged her out with his hand. "She's pretty shy around people. Just say somethin' to her and she'll speak."

Kagome nodded at him and turned her attention back to the little girl. "Hey, what's your name?" she asked in a gentle voice. The little girl looked up at Inuyasha for a moment before speaking.

"Rin," she said quietly, still staying close to him.

Kagome just smiled at her. "Aw, that's such a nice name. So how old are you, Rin?"

Rin held up seven fingers, indicating her age. "I'm seven," she replied, still a bit hesitant.

"Wow, that's such a big number! That means you're almost a big girl now right?"

She nodded with a smile on her face. "Mhmm. Daddy says I get bigger every day!" She fully moved away from Inuyasha now and stood right in front of Kagome. It seemed that she'd begun to like her now.

Kagome laughed and patted her on her head. "Well your daddy is very right." For a moment, she dropped her smile and sent a questioning glance toward Inuyasha. He immediately knew what she was thinking and quickly shook his head.

"Hell no, she ain't mine!" His face took on a look of disgust. "She's that bast- guy's daughter?"

Suddenly, a loud voice could be heard from the upper floor. "Inuyasha Takahashi! What'd I tell you about using that language in this house!! Watch your mouth in front of my daughter!"

"Feh, whatever old lady!" Inuyasha yelled back at her, ignoring her warnings. It was only a few seconds before loud footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. A lady with her hair up in a short ponytail with feathers place in it entered into the room.

"Who are you calling an old lady!" She was about to chew his head off, but a gentle hand landed on her shoulder. The hand was attached to a male who looked like an older version on Inuyasha.

"That's enough Kagura. Don't waste your breath on him." The man had long silver hair, and markings on his face. His hands also adorned claws just like Inuyasha's. He turned his attention toward Kagome and instead of a smile, she was greeted with a blank expression. "It looks as though you have a guest."

"No shit, Sherlock," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath. Kagura shot him a warning glare but he ignored her.

"Well the polite thing to do would be to introduce us," she hissed under her breath.

Inuyasha was getting irritated just by their very presence and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "You want introductions? Then fine. Kagome this is my **half-**brother Sesshomaru and his crazy wife, Kagura. Rin's their adoptive daughter. We all live here together. There, ya happy?"

Kagome was a bit uncomfortable with the current situation but she didn't want to come off as rude. Plus, Sesshomaru sort of intimidated her. "U-um, hi, nice to meet you both." She extended her hand and Kagura shook it with a smile on her face.

"Well, way to go Inuyasha," she said, smirking at him. "Looks like you've finally found a sensible girl around her. Finally dumped that slut yet?"

Inuyasha growled deep under his throat and looked as though he was about to kill her. It was too bad though, because both Sesshomaru and Rin were present. _Just you wait, you bitch. You'll get what's coming for you._

Unconsciously, Kagome blushed and denied her. "Oh it's not like that. Inuyasha and I are just friends, that's all." _Though I wish we were otherwise_, she added in her head. She extended her hand to Sesshomaru which he grasped firmly, the same expression still across his face.

"I apologize for my brother's rudeness. It seems that we've interrupted you both, so my apologies again." Sesshomaru looked toward his daughter. "Rin, come along and let us leave. Kagura." He grabbed Rin into his arms and escorted his wife out of the room.

"Nice to meet you Kagome!" she called back, just before they went out of sight.

"You too," Kagome said back, with a slight wave. She looked toward Inuyasha who seemed to be conjuring evil thoughts inside of his head. "So uh, what did you call me here for again."

Inuyasha looked at her confused for a moment, before he remembered why she was there. "Oh yeah. Did you bring all the stuff I told you to?"

Kagome pointed to her swimsuit under her shirt, and to her towel. "Yep, all set. So what's the plan?"

"Come with me," he grabbed her arm, and led her through some double doors. Before she knew it, she was face to face with their giant sized pool. "Get changed and wait for me here for a sec. I need to change so I'll just be a minute." He left her before she could even reply back.

Kagome slowly looked at the pool and grew nervous. _What's wrong with this guy? He should know that I don't like water... Ooh, I know this isn't going to turn out well._ As she slowly pulled off her top, memories of her childhood flooded into her brain. Thinking back to that near death experience caused her to shiver in fright. Once all her clothing was discarded, she quickly sat down into the nearest pool chair. _I can't do this. I can't do this. I just can't do this!! I think I should just leave... _She almost took herself up on that offer, but Inuyasha had appeared.

"So ya ready to tackle this thing?" He asked clapping his hands together. But the look on Kagome's face showed just how not ready she was.

"Inuyasha," she began. "I don't... I can't do this. It's impossible." She looked toward the pool and shook her head, closing her eyes. "I just can't..."

Inuyasha grew concerned and went over to her. "Look at me, Kagome." He turned her chin toward him with his hand. "Open your eyes." She opened them slowly, but he could see tiny tear droplets forming in the corners of them. "You're going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear."

Kagome shook her head again, and the tears began flowing down. "But you d-don't understand... I almost drowned l-last time. I don't think I can do this." She buried her head inside her hands, and began sobbing.

Inuyasha sighed and wrapped his arms around her, all too aware of the skin-to-skin contact. "Kagome..." He rubbed her back until she quieted down a bit. "I'm right here. Do you seriously think I'd let something happen to you, stupid?" He grabbed her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "You've just got to trust me, okay?"

She stared at him with sad eyes for a moment before she slowly nodded. "Okay... I trust you."

"Good," he said, standing. "Then let's start off with the basics."

xoxoxoxoxox

When Kagome had first entered the water, she was very hesitant. It took Inuyasha about three tries before he was able to get her inside the pool. They had started with the basic breathing and floating techniques to get Kagome acquainted with the water. After about an hour of that, and a short break, she had progressed to the basic kicking and arm movements used in swimming. A few more hours passed with big progress. Kagome seemed a lot happier than when she had started, and it looked to Inuyasha as though she was slowly getting used to the water. It was around five before Inuyasha decided to quit for the day.

"Aah, that was so much fun!" Kagome exclaimed, as she got out of the pool.

Inuyasha smirked and got out of the pool as well.. "Well, maybe for you." He grumbled, with slight annoyance. "You're the only one that really got to swim." Kagome just laughed and without thinking too much about it, ran over and gave him a hug.

"I'm really happy that you helped me today, Inuyasha," she mumbled into his chest. "I don't think I would have been able to do this... without you." A few tears fell out of her eyes, but not those of sadness.

Inuyasha was shocked and tensed for a second before he relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her. "Quit cryin' already, will ya?" He muttered over the top of her head. "It's not like you're a pro now or anything..."

Kagome nodded and realized all too soon what she had done. She quickly moved out of his grasp and nodded, her face red as a tomato. "Well, we've still got time... you know, for me to work on everything and stuff."

Inuyasha cleared his throat, a blush spread across his face as well. "Y-yeah... plenty of time." There was an awkward silence before a voice ruined the moment.

"You know, every awkward silence a gay baby is born!!" Kagura yelled from the doorway, having seen the whole encounter.

"Kagura, what the hell?!" Inuyasha looked as though he really would kill her now, but Kagome decided to change the subject.

"Eh heh, uh.... Inuyasha! It's getting pretty late. And I was wondering... could you please take me home?" she put on a puppy dog face, but Inuyasha didn't really notice it, having still been fed up with Kagura.

"Yeah, what the hell. Let's get out of here." He grabbed her hand unconsciously and led her through the doors. Kagura knew better than to stay and had already gone. "And Sesshomaru!" he yelled, making his way to the garage. "You better watch you're fucking wife before she end's up ten feet under the ground!" Right after, he saw Rin looking up at him with a curious look on her face.

"Daddy?" She called toward the stairs. "What's... fucking mean?"

"Oh shit," Inuyasha cursed under his breath. "We need to go now!!" He dragged Kagome out the door, just as they heard footsteps descending down the stairs at a rapid pace.

xoxoxoxoxox

During the drive up to Sango's apartment, they both decided on a schedule for when Kagome would come over to continue lessons. Kagome kept in mind all the days so that she could inform Sango the exact times and dates. Before she knew it, they were already there.

"Well," she said to Inuyasha once he had stopped the car. "Thanks for today. I had a whole lot of fun," she added with a genuine smile.

He blushed and turned away. "Y-yeah, whatever. Just don't forget those days, okay?"

Kagome laughed slightly and nodded. "Don't worry I won't forget them. See ya!" With that, she excited the car and headed up towards the door. With one final wave to Inuyasha, she stepped inside. Once she had made it inside, he drove away.

Inuyasha was halfway to his house before his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and found out that it was Kikyo.

"Hello?"

"Yashie-poo! What have you be doing all day?? You didn't answer my calls or anything..."

He sighed. "Sorry, I was busy... teaching Kagome how to swim."

There was a pause before Kikyo spoke again. "So you're saying you'd rather spend time with **her** than me?" Anger laced onto her voice.

"Kikyo, you know it's not like that." He was getting a bit annoyed with her attitude. "And what does it matter who I hang out with? I can't spend every second of the day with you."

"Yasha... why are being so mean?" She responded, quietly.

Inuyasha sighed again. "Kikyo... look I'm sorry, okay?"

"... Okay, fine. But you better make it up to me."

"Sure. Now I've got to go, so I'll talk to you later." He hung up afterward, and looked at his phone. There were eight missed calls and three voice messages for him. _Most likely from Kikyo_, he thought to himself as he continued the drive home.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kikyo on the other hand was anything but happy. She sat in her room and gripped one of her hot pink pillows tightly. _That bitch Kagome! She's got no idea who she's messing with. Just you wait. You'll wish you never messed with me, Higurashi!!!_

**A/N:** Yay, another chapter done! Well I have some bad news =/ I'm leaving tomorrow for a trip for about 2 weeks, so I won't be able to update as fast as I have been. But I'll make sure to do so as soon as I get back. So make me happy and go review x)


	9. Chapter 9: The Party

That Summer

Aaaah, I'm super sorry to all my reviewers!! I knew that I said a while back that I would update sooner and I feel super duper bad about making you all wait this long!! I hope you all forgive me. So as a peace offering, here's the finally awaited next chapter. Oh and thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys so much ^^

**Chapter 9: The Party**

After about two weeks of Inuyasha's private lessons, Kagome's swimming ability had progressed greatly. Being the quick study that she was, she was able to pick up all the strokes and execute them well. The many days spent with Inuyasha weren't all that bad either. She had gotten to know him a lot better and now they were both exceptionally close. Plus, she had become a regular at the Takahashi mansion. Rin always wanted to see her and Kagura was wild and cracked hilarious jokes that always made her laugh. Heck, even Sesshomaru was warming up to her; at least that's what Rin kept saying. Kagome was surprised one day however, when Inuyasha dropped some unexpected news on her.

"Geez, Kags. You've become a fish over these past couple of weeks," Inuyasha teased as they both sat around his pool.

Kagome laughed and took another sip of her drink. "It's all thanks to you, almighty sensei." She made a show of bowing to him.

He smirked and waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. Well, you did all the work. I just taught you everything."

"And for that I'm grateful," she smiled, showing her appreciation.

There was a comfortable pause before a thought popped into Inuyasha's head.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot." He slapped a hand to his forehead. "I've got a surprise for you."

Kagome turned toward him. "Oh really now. Go on."

He sat upright and looked down at her. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now would it, stupid." He playfully knocked her in the head, earning himself a pout.

She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "Hmph, well at least give me a hint. I want to know something." She looked at him with pleading eyes. He rolled his at her attempt at a dog pout.

"Geez, wench. I was gonna tell you anyway. So here's what you need to know: go home, change, and come back here around 8:30. Got that?"

Kagome looked hard into his eyes, trying to figure out if this was another one of his tricks. Another thing that she had noticed during the lessons was that he always liked to tease her. Inuyasha loved to play countless pranks on her during the day, most of which she never enjoyed. After a few minutes of silent interrogation, she gave up with a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"Whatever you say, Inuyasha. But at least tell me this; what am I supposed to change into exactly?"

He grinned and just shrugged her off. "Just ask Sango and she'll tell you. Now you don't have much time," he said looking at his watch, which stated that it was already 6:45. "Let's go."

Before Kagome could say anything else, Inuyasha grabbed her hand and led her to the front of the house. "Myoga, would it be okay if you drove Kagome home?"

"Not at all sir," Myoga said with a bow. "Right this way Ms. Higurashi." He began to lead her out to the car.

Kagome turned once more back to Inuyasha. "Well then, I guess I'll see you later on tonight then?" She had really wanted to stay longer, but knew that Inuyasha would just annoy her about this anyway.

"Yeah. So quit asking questions and go home already," he said in a slightly annoyed voice. Without thinking, he pulled her into a quick hug and pushed her out the door. She blushed a bit and got into the limo with a small wave.

xoxoxoxoxo

When she had finally made it home, Sango and Miroku were already there waiting for her. Sango practically dragged her out of the car before she even had a chance to thank Myoga.

"What took you so long? Didn't I tell Inuyasha to take you home earlier??" With an annoyed look on her face, she led her friend up the stairs to her room muttering under her breath.

Kagome was a bit confused at the moment, but just went along with it. "He just randomly told me about this a couple minutes ago so... yeah."

Once they were both inside her room, Sango began flipping through Kagome's part of the closet and searched for an outfit for her. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome laid down on her bed and began the interrogation.

"So Sango, what's this surprise all about? Inuyasha wouldn't tell me anything, let alone what to wear."

"Well don't expect me to tell you anything. My lips are sealed," she responded, while debating between two outfits. After a moment's deliberation, she decided on a red and black striped halter top, with fitting black pants with a red sash for a belt. "Put this on okay?" She threw the outfit on top of Kagome and went to her own closet for an outfit.

With a shrug, Kagome headed into the bathroom to change. _Well, based on the outfit Sango picked for me, I'm guessing it's a party._ When she was done, Sango changed into her own outfit. They applied all the makeup, grabbed their shoes, and met Miroku who was already waiting downstairs.

"Damn, you girls look sexy!" He looked them both up and down with a lecherous grin. Sango just rolled her eyes, but Kagome could see the slight blush on her face.

"Well, we really need to go. It's already 8:15 and we don't want to be late." Kagome nodded in agreement and looked in Miroku's direction.

"You ready to go?"

He smiled. "Yeah, just get in the car you guys and let's go!"

xoxoxoxoxo

When they pulled up to Inuyasha's house, it was already crowded. There were tons or parked cars both inside and outside of the gate. Kagome looked at them all in awe. _Jeez, how many people are here? The whole city? _With the help of security, the trio parked into their reserved parking spot, since Kagome was the guest of honor.

A chauffer escorted her and her friends to the front of the house where Myoga then greeted them.

"Glad you could make it, Ms. Higurashi. Now if you would please follow me." He led them all inside and down to a part of the house that Kagome had never seen before. Finally after a bit of walking, they came to a pair of double doors that apparently led to where the party was. It was pretty obvious after hearing the muffled sound of the music coming from the other side.

"Now I will take my leave. Have fun." With a final bow and a smile, he left the trio to enter on their own.

When they first entered into the room, it was already crowded with a bunch of people. The music was blaring from the stereo in the middle of the dance floor, and there were a great number of faces that Kagome didn't recognize. She searched hard for one in particular, and spotted him chatting with some guys near the corner.

She turned toward Sango and Miroku. "I see Inuyasha so I'll see you guys in a sec, okay?"

"No problem," Sango said with a wave of her hand. "This is all for you today so have fun."

Miroku nodded with a smile and wrapped his hand around Sango's waist. "And if it's not a problem, I think I'm going to be keeping this lovely lady all to myself tonight."

Kagome just laughed and watched as her two friends headed straight for the dance floor. Meanwhile, she made her way over to Inuyasha. He didn't see her coming at first, so she thought it would be fun to surprise him. She sneaked up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands while he was still in conversation. Slightly shocked, Inuyasha grinned and turned around to face her, gently releasing himself from her hold.

"About time you showed up," he teased, giving her a once over. _Damn, Kagome knows how to clean up nice_, he thought to himself before quickly shaking the thought out of his head.

"Well it takes time to look this nice," she said with a laugh and a spin to show off her outfit. "So this is my surprise, huh? I never knew you'd be able to pull off something like this."

He flashed her his signature smirk. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Kagome sensed a slightly hidden meaning behind these words, but thought nothing of it.

"Just so you know, I'm happy that you did all this - even though I don't really know anyone here." She took a chance to gaze at all the unfamiliar people dancing and chatting around her. Inuyasha sure seemed popular.

Inuyasha saw her wary gaze and knew what to do. "Well since you're here, how about we go and introduce you."

Before Kagome could protest, he grabbed her hand and led her onto a small stage in front of the dance floor. He grabbed the microphone, and tapped it to get everyone's attention. Kagome just stood shyly behind him, not knowing what else to say or do.

He cued the DJ to stop the music as well. "Hey everyone, I've got an announcement to make."

The music stopped, and everyone curiously looked up to the stage to see what was going on. Once Inuyasha had managed to get everyone's attention, he continued on.

"You all know that I hosted this awesome party right. Everyone having fun?!" The crowd whooped and cheered for a few seconds before he calmed things down again.

"Well, the reason I did all this is because of my friend Kagome here. She's hanging with us for the summer along with her friends Sango and Miroku, and put up with me while learning how to swim." He glanced back at her and flashed her a smile that made her heart race a bit. "And this party's technically a congratulations one. So let's keep it going!"

There were even louder cheers as the DJ started cranking up the tunes again. "Thanks for that," Kagome whispered into his ear right before they walked off stage. He flashed her a no problem sign and led her over to meet a couple of his friends. The two walked up to a girl with long red hair put up in two high ponytails. She had green eyes and looked to be a wolf demon.

"Ayame," Inuyasha said, leading Kagome over to her. "This is my friend Kagome, the one the party's for."

"Oh, so this is the acclaimed Kagome, huh?" She smiled in Kagome's direction and held out her hand. Kagome shook it in response, happy that she seemed friendly enough. Making sure that Inuyasha was out of earshot, Ayame leaned in to whisper, "Inuyasha's told me so much about you."

Hearing this, Kagome turned a deep red while Inuyasha did the same. "T-that's nice," she stuttered, averting her eyes from the girl's gaze. Ayame laughed at the sight and decided that it was time for her to take her leave. She had been looking for a certain wolf demon all night and no matter how hard she tried, he always managed to avoid her. _But not this time._

She thought for a second before considering asking Inuyasha. "Hey Inuyasha, have you seen Koga anywhere tonight?" The half-demon scrunched up his nose in disgust after hearing the name.

"That piece of wolf shit? I wouldn't want to see him even if my life depended on it. But he's known for crashing, so he's probably in here somewhere." Ayame nodded in response and decided to continue her search.

"Well, I'm off to look for him again. But it was nice meeting you, Kagome." She gave them both a final wave before heading away to look for the wolf demon.

There was a slight pause before either of them spoke again; the music was still booming around them with bodies dancing everywhere. Suddenly shy, she was about to ask Inuyasha if he wanted to dance before the sight of someone caught her voice in her throat. There walking over to them at that very moment was none other than Kikyo. Before Inuyasha took notice of her, she decided to make her presence known.

"INUYASHA!!" Kikyo screamed, flinging her arms around her boyfriend. She clung off of him like a baby, much to his annoyance. "I've been looking all over for you." She pouted at him, but then noticed Kagome and it turned into a frown. "Oh.... I didn't notice you there, Kagome. Having fun?" She asked, a hint of anger laced in her voice.

Kagome noticed this, and began to get angry herself. "Oh yes, loads of fun actually? I'm so happy that Inuyasha took the time to get this party organized for **me**." She ended with a smile that Kikyo knew for sure was fake. Wanting to get away from her as soon as possible, Kikyo turned her attention back to Inuyasha.

"So babe," she whispered low in his ear, "You wanna dance?" As she pressed her chest flush across Inuyasha's arm, she could practically feel Kagome fuming on the sidelines. Since Inuyasha was a guy of course, it was kind of hard to comprehend things when a girl was practically glued to him. - and a not bad looking girl at that.

"S-sure," he stuttered, trying to keep his composure. Kikyo was delighted at his response, and without any delay, dragging him onto the dance floor. She shot a satisfied look at Kagome who could do nothing but watch as they left. She almost gagged when Kikyo made a show of grinding all over him as well. Unable to put up with the sight any longer, Kagome quickly turned and angrily headed toward the refreshments. Her mind was so clouded that she didn't notice a boy standing in her path until she'd fully collided with him.

"Ow, what the heck?" She rubbed her head and cursed herself under her breath. Kagome was so disoriented that she almost forgot about the stranger's status. "Are you okay?" she asked.

The boy she'd run into had short brown hair, matching brown eyes, and looked slightly familiar. _What I minute, is that...?_

"Higurashi?" The boy tilted his head to make sure he knew who she was.

"Hojo?" Kagome recognized him immediately. "Wow, it's been so long," she said smiling at him. "I didn't know this is where you've been all this time." It'd definitely been a while since the pair had last seen each other. They had both gone to the same middle school, but after a few years, Hojo had moved away with his family. They had been friends but Kagome always knew, and everyone else at that, that he had always had feelings for her. But as things played out, she ended up losing contact with him.

Hojo rubbed his head, blushing slightly. "Haha, yeah it has been a while. Well, my family and I didn't move here originally, but my dad got relocated again, so we've been here for a while now."

Kagome patted him on the shoulder. "Well it's good to know that I still have some friends living around these parts. I've been coming around here every summer and yet I've never even seen you once."

Surprise registered across Hojo's face. "Really? Geez, we've really missed out all these years." He nervously laughed and rubbed his head again.

"Yeah," Kagome said nodding. She looked back onto the dance floor and spotted Inuyasha and Kikyo. This ticked her off again, but at least Inuyasha didn't really look like he was enjoying it too much. _Actually, he looks a bit awkward._ She laughed to herself after seeing the look on his face. While she was having her own silent moment, Hojo was sneaking glances at her. She was still as beautiful as ever in his eyes, like his crush had never died. He had just about mustered enough courage to ask her to dance, but Kagome began speaking herself.

"Well Hojo, it was nice talking with you again. Let's exchange numbers so we can keep in touch from now on, okay?" Kagome began pulling out her cell phone and motioned him to do the same.

After the exchange was done, Kagome waved and headed back to her original destination: the refreshment table. She got a drink and watched as people began dancing to the next song. _It's not like I'm not having fun_, she thought to herself as she watched couples pairing together. _I just wish..._ Kagome knew that what she really wanted was currently out of her reach. She had already accepted her feelings, but the thoughts that followed depressed her. Inuyasha had Kikyo; there wasn't any other room for her in that picture. As always, she was just here for the summer, and in at the end of the week she would be heading back home - back to her life before Inuyasha came into the picture.

Kagome sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes in the process. _I guess that's more than I can ask for right? Being just friends is pretty okay I guess..._ Before she could react, someone grabbed her hand and hurriedly dragged her around the corner and out the double doors. She was still in shock when she registered that the unidentified person was Inuyasha, looking flushed and out of breath.

"Geez, Inuyasha. Don't scare me like that, crazy!" She breathed, resting her hand on her racing heart. It took Inuyasha a minute to catch his own breath before he responded.

"... I'm sorry just... had to get... away for... a bit ..." He calmed down and leaned against the wall, hand covering his eyes. He was still breathing a bit heavily, but Kagome had to admit, he looked overly cute at the moment. She made her way over to him and leaned against the wall as well. After a moment's pause, she began talking.

"So... having fun with Kikyo?" she asked a bit hesitantly. Inuyasha uncovered his face to look at her, but her gaze was downcast toward the floor.

He looked up at the ceiling. "I guess so... but honestly, she doesn't give me any time to breathe." He laughed slightly, but noticed Kagome's not so happy expression. "Hey, you okay?" he asked looking concerned.

Kagome too noted this, but chose to fake it. "Oh yeah! The party's great and the people are really friendly." She smiled at him, but Inuyasha could tell that it was strained. He could also sense that she was lying to him.

"You do know I'm a hanyou right, Kags? I can tell when you're lying you know," he muttered getting slightly annoyed.

"I'm not lying," she stated, but after seeing his glare she changed her mind. "Okay," she sighed, "maybe I am a bit. But it's nothing to worry about Inuyasha. Let's just go back in and enjoy what's left of the party." She grabbed his hand and started to head back inside, but he resisted and didn't move. Turning around, she was about to yell at him but noticed the look Inuyasha was sporting and knew an argument was coming on.

"Why don't you ever tell me what's going on with you, huh?" he growled, angrily. "And this isn't even the first time you've done this. How the hell am I supposed to know what you're thinking if you don't ever explain?"

"Well maybe I just don't want to talk about every little thing," Kagome yelled back. "You have absolutely no clue what I'm going through right now Inuyasha, so please... don't start this right now, okay?" She turned to leave, but he pulled her back and gripped onto her arm. She struggled to get away, but he didn't let up. "Let me go, Inuyasha! You're hurting me!"

Inuyasha loosened his grip a bit, but remained firm. "Not until you tell me why. What's with you?"

Unable to hold her emotions in any longer, Kagome stopped her struggling as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. "You just don't get it... not at all." Shocked at her tears, Inuyasha dropped her arm and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"H-hey, what's up with these tears? Why are you crying wench?"

Unable to answer him, Kagome just shook her head and stood limply, all the while tears continued to fall. After a brief moment, Inuyasha sighed and gently gathered her into his arms. She instinctively clutched onto his shirt and buried her head into his chest.

"Look," he said in a gentler voice after she'd calmed down a bit, "I'm sorry I yelled at you and all that, okay? So stop crying already."

She nodded into his shirt and slowly broke the embrace. Kagome wiped her eyes until there was barely any sign of her past tears. "I'm okay now... but yeah thanks."

Inuyasha was skeptical at first, but Kagome's slight smile proved that she was a little better. "So you ready to go back in?"

Kagome nodded and they both entered the party again. A fast paced song had just ended and the DJ now switched to a much slower one. "Okay all you ladies and men. I'm gonna take things down a bit for the last song of the night, so enjoy." Couples began pairing up all around them, but Kagome was unsure of what to do with herself. _Is he going to ask me?_

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "So... um... you wanna dance?" he asked nervously. Kagome looked over at him with shock. _Did he seriously ask me?!_ Inuyasha took her silence as rejection and immediately regretted it, thinking that she was still mad at him for before. "Well, if you don't want to-"

"I do!" Kagome exclaimed, eyes beaming with delight. A bit taken aback but still happy, Inuyasha took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. She placed her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his own around her waist pulling her closer. Kagome's head was spinning as they swayed to the music. This definitely had to be the highlight of the whole summer for her. As their bodies pressed together, she laid her head against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. _This is the way it's supposed to be_, she thought happily to herself.

Inuyasha rested his chin on top of her head and breathed in her sweet vanilla scent. It was like heaven to him. Now that he had thought about it, he had never really felt this way when he was with Kikyo; so at peace and simply content with everything. Kagome was the exact opposite of her, even if their appearances were slightly similar. When he had first met Kikyo, she was an independent and confident woman, which attracted him. But later on, he found that she was super high maintenance and required constant attention. But Kagome was another story. She'd been the only girl that could match him in an argument; the only one to make him feel all these emotions. But the time spent together with her was what he looked forward to the most during the day, and every day. She'd plagued his mind this whole summer, and after realizing this he'd come to a sudden conclusion. _This feeling is..._

Before they had realized it, the song was already over and couples were breaking apart. Inuyasha gently released her, but held on a bit when they were both face to face. Kagome looked deeply into his amber eyes and wanted more than anything for the impossible. Inuyasha looked back just as intently and slowly leaned in. Their faces inched closer and closer together before...

"INUYASHA!"

The pair froze and quickly broke apart. They looked to see who had called him, but noticed that it had been Kikyo who was frantically searching for him among the throng of people. Thankfully she had just been calling out for him and didn't see what had previously occurred.

Kikyo called out again. "Inuyasha, where are yoouuu??"

"Follow me," Inuyasha said, avoiding her eyes as he grabbed her hand and led her away. Once they were safely out of Kikyo's line of vision, he released her. No one spoke for a while, but Kagome was still slightly in shock. _What just happened? Did Inuyasha just try to... to kiss me?!_ She blushed deeply at the thought. Looking back at him, she noticed that he still wasn't looking at her. "Inuyasha..."

"Tomorrow," he turned to her, "Go to the lifeguard post at the beach around 7, okay?" Although he had spoken, his eyes looked past her, still avoiding her eyes.

"But why-"

"There's something I need to tell you. So just be there tomorrow... please." He looked straight at her now, daring her to say something against it. But of course, Kagome knew that she'd be there; that this something was important for both her and him. That maybe, just maybe, her summer wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

She flashed him a smile that made his heart melt. "Don't worry, I'll be there." Kagome saw how red his face got and she tried her hardest to hold in her laughter. He was just too cute.

"Well, okay then," he grunted and looked away, "Tomorrow then..." He ruffled her hair and departed to wrap up everything. Kagome was so happy that she was literally beaming, and as she walked back into all the action, that was how Miroku and Sango found her.

"Geez, Kagome looks that she's about to burst! Seems like something good happened to her, aye Sango?" Miroku teased, nudging his girlfriend.

"I think so too," Sango teased back, smiling at her friend. "Seems like this party was a success."

Kagome just nodded, but still gleamed. "And what about you two? I haven't managed to see you guys all night. Have fun?" Seeing the pair's faces, Kagome could already figure out what had happened between the two.

"This pervert's just about had his fair share of parties for a LONG time! We better leave now before he attaches himself to another one of these females."

Miroku feigned hurt. "Oh Sango, you wound me so. All I'll ever need is you."

She just huffed in response and ignored his efforts. "Kagome, is it okay?"

"Oh no problem. Let's go then!" Before they exited, Kagome turned back and spotted Inuyasha chatting a bit with the remaining guests. He noticed Kagome and nodded in her direction. With a final wave, she headed out with her friends. She hadn't seen Kikyo around after they'd left, but maybe that was a good thing. In the car on the way back to the house, her mind was filled with all the events of the night, leaving her smiling the whole way back.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kikyo dangerously stalked out of her hiding place, her mind full of rage. _So this was how it was, huh? They think that little interaction on the dance floor went unnoticed by me?? Oh how wrong they are._ She laughed angrily and headed in Inuyasha's direction. She was a woman on a mission, and she knew just how to fix this little mess. _I hope you realize Higurashi, this means war!_

**A/N:** It's finally done! Again, I'm sorry for the long wait I've put you all through. School's been crazy and I barely even have time to do anything anymore Dx But this time I'm serious, I'll definitely try my hardest to update as soon as I can. And I promise, it won't be longer than 2 months this time!! Review please :)


	10. Chapter 10: What A Day

That Summer

I decided to change the title (as you can see). I'm not really good with creating titles in the first place, and I felt that the one I came up with didn't really fit the story =/ So it's changed :) And I know it's been a while since I last updated, but I finally have! I'm super happy that school's almost out. Only one more day!! (And I'm almost done with finals! Woot!! xD) Anyway, since I'll be on winter break, I'll have a WHOLE lot more time to write, which means more updates! So expect chapters to come out way faster than they have been :D Now enough of my rambling and on to the next chapter!

**Chapter 10:** **What A Day**

_Kagome quickly hurried toward the beach, checking her watch a final time to make sure that she wasn't late. Her nerves were overwhelming her as she spotted the lifeguard post up ahead and the recognizable figure leaning against it. She slowly made her way over until she was face to face with him. Inuyasha smirked down at her and motioned for her to join him on a spot on the sand. A short moment of silence filled the air as they both watched the sunset together. It was momentarily broken, however, when Inuyasha abruptly spoke._

_"Kagome... there's a reason why I called you out here today." She looked expectantly up at him._

_"I know. So what were you planning on telling me?" _

_Inuyasha paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Well, first off, I've broken up with Kikyo..." Upon hearing the news, Kagome silently cheered inside her head, but kept a straight face as she waited for him to continue. Inuyasha gently turned her head so she was facing him, and looked straight into her eyes. "And the thing is... I... I'm in love with you, Kagome."_

_Kagome couldn't contain herself any longer and immediately pounced on him. She laughed at his surprised expression and said, "I've been waiting for you to say that all summer."_

_Inuyasha smirked back up at her. "And I've been waiting to do this..." He flipped their positions so that he became the dominant one, and slowly lowered his lips until..._

Kagome cried out in a combination of pain and shock as something big and hard thwacked her across the face. She immediately woke from her slumber, angry at whoever had awaken her from the pleasant dream she'd been experiencing. It turned out to only be Sango, trying to wake her up for the millionth time that past half hour.

"Sango, what the hell?! Can't you just wake me up normally?" Kagome glared with half open eyes at her friend while she angrily rubbed her pulsating nose. Sango just laughed in response and jumped up on her bed like a little kid.

"Well, you don't know how long it takes to wake you, Kags. I'd bet money that you could sleep through a tornado... or a hurricane... or-"

"Okay, okay! I get it. I'm up." She pushed her friend out of the way so that she wouldn't injury yet another body part so early in the morning. But honestly, she thought of nothing that could spoil her day. Just the thought of what was planned made her more awake then she'd felt in a while. Today was the day she'd meet with Inuyasha. And it wasn't just like any old get together that they'd planned beforehand; today, something fantastic would happen.

After quickly washing and getting dressed, she made her way down to breakfast with her friends. Although she had nothing planned for the day, Kagome hoped that she could find something to entertain herself with until the awaited hour arrived.

xoxoxoxoxo

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was enjoying what little sleep he could get. After the party had ended the night before, some of his friends felt the need to hang out a bit longer; actually, it was **quite** a bit longer. Plus, Kikyo had been ringing up his phone the whole morning, so he'd just switched it to 'silent' and went back to sleep. He didn't want to awaken from the dream he was having, involving another raven-haired female...

Suddenly, the door to his room swung open, alerting him instantly, and there in the entryway stood none other than Kikyo herself. She giggled at the expression he was wearing when he saw her, but skipped her way over to his bedside nonetheless.

"K-Kikyo?" Inuyasha managed to squeak out. "What are you doing here... what time is it?" He tried to glance over at his clock, but Kikyo's butt was blocking his view.

"Yashie! Go on a date with me today! Please!!" She inched closer toward him him, wrapping her arms around his bare shoulders, and thrusting her chest into his personal space. Inuyasha was still frozen and knew not what to do. All he did know was that this was one hell of a wake-up call, and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't still dreaming. His face turned beet red at its proximity to Kikyo's chest, and he gently moved her a safer distance away.

"L-let me go and change or... something. Give me a sec." He scrambled off his bed, grabbed some clothes, and hurried into his bathroom before she could say another word.

"Okay, babe. Take your time!" She positioned herself on his unmade bed and smirked at her succession of seduction. Kagome was no match for her now, and by the time the date was over, Inuyasha wouldn't even think of straying from her ever again.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha emerged fully clothed and a bit more awake. He realized that he hadn't been dreaming at all when he spotted Kikyo sitting on his bed waiting for him. She was dressed in another one of those outfits; the ones complete with a short mini-skirt, and a tight, low-cut shirt with heels for the finishing touch. Inuyasha couldn't admit that he didn't like it, but with her face so caked with make-up, she looked like she was trying too hard to impress.

Inuyasha stood near the side of the bed, afraid of what would happen if he sat next to her. "So, uh, where are we going exactly?" He asked, scratching behind one of his ears.

Kikyo perked up and ran off the list of things she had planned for the both of them. "Okay, so, first we're going to eat breakfast at this fantastic cafe. Then later, I was thinking you could take me to that large shopping boutique that's downtown. You know, the one who that sells all the great clothes I love? Oh, and then after that-"

"Woah, there! Hold on a sec." Inuyasha held his hands up, hoping that she'd take a breath. "How long were you planning to keep me out today?"

Kikyo faked puzzlement, but inside she was seething. _So he still had time to think about that bitch, huh?_ "Why do you ask, Inuyasha?" She tilted her head to the side. "Was there something else that you were planning on doing today? You don't want to spend time with me?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He knew that he couldn't tell Kikyo about his exchange with Kagome, and hated that she chose today, of all days, to go on a date. After he'd thought long and hard about it yesterday, Inuyasha had finally made his decision; it was time to break things off with Kikyo. He knew it'd be hard for her to accept, but the feelings he felt for her were slowly dying out. And it wasn't just yesterday that he noticed this. It was ever since Kagome had walked into his life. She'd changed him in a good way, and he... he loved her. But now came the hard part. He'd been thinking of what he would say to Kikyo for a while after the party had ended, and now all he needed was the right time to tell her. However, in his mind, he knew that now wasn't that time.

"U-um, no it's not that. It's just... this is all just so unexpected, so I was just curious." He laughed nervously, but it seemed to reassure Kikyo for the moment.

She popped up with excitement and made her way over to him, latching onto his arm in the process. "Well, okay then! Let's hurry and get out of here!" She pulled him along and whisked him out to his car.

xoxoxoxoxo

They arrived at the restaurant about half an hour later, all thanks to Kikyo's bad sense of direction. Inuyasha had never been to this particular place before, but she had ranted and raved about it so much that he expected it to be good. After they'd been seated and ordered their meals (which were a bit pricey), the pair fell into conversation. He knew that this was his final date with her, so he wanted to make the best of it. _Whatever she wants_, he thought with a sigh.

Kikyo had been watching the way he was acting from the moment they had entered, and she knew exactly the kind of thoughts he might be having. _Don't think you'll get rid of me that easily, babe. We've still got a whole day ahead of us._ "So Yashie," she smiled, switching on her cheerful girlfriend act, "It's great that we get to spend time together like this. Don't you think so?" She batted her eyelashes at him as she waited for his response.

Inuyasha grunted and nodded. "Keh, yeah... it's really great, Kiks. You know how I love spending time with you." He smiled at her, but she knew it wasn't genuine. It was fake, and she hated that.

"Of course you would, right? I'm so irresistible aren't I?" See tried another round of seduction, but it didn't seem like anything she was doing was having any effect. Inuyasha looked uninterested and she could tell that he wasn't focused fully on her. _Well, I still have him for the whole day all to myself, so eventually something will work._

xoxoxoxoxo

Kagome sat on one of the big, fluffy couches in their living room, and lazily flipped through the channels on her television. Sango and Miroku had already left to go off on their own adventures together, but she had opted to stay in the house, not wanting to interfere with their lovey dovey moment. Without Inuyasha to hang with, she had nothing to do, and it bored the heck out of her. She thought about maybe going to the beach, but she didn't know if Inuyasha would be working there the whole day. And if he was, she wouldn't know how to react if she saw him. So here she sat, unwilling to go anywhere, but eager for the hours to past by as quickly as they could.

Deciding against being a total coach potato the whole day, she switched into a tank top, soffe shorts, and her Nike sneakers, and locked up the house before heading out. She'd never really taken the time to walk around the neighborhood, but the weather was perfect and she was bored. She passed by some kids playing ball on the street, and a few other teens sunbathing on their front lawns. After walking about 3 miles, she made her way back to the house, and settled back into the boredom that she'd momentarily tried to escape from.

xoxoxoxoxo

Before he knew it, Inuyasha was already being carted into the shopping mall. To say the least, it was anything but fun; no guy likes to be a girl's bag holder when she's on a shopping rampage. Around about the fifteenth store, he was beginning to get a bit irritated. But Kikyo failed to notice this as she tried on the latest brand of Jimmy Choo boots.

Inuyasha sighed as he sat in the nearest chair while Kikyo was trying on more clothes. He flipped open his phone and randomly scrolled through his contact list, stopping at Kagome's number. Next to it was a picture of her that he managed to take while they were still taking lessons together. She'd been upset because he took it by surprise, but he thought she looked cute. He laughed gently as he remembered how she tried to chase him around the pool, but the difference in speed between them was clearly apparent, and she'd lost.

Kikyo burst out of the fitting room and was about to ask Inuyasha's opinion on the new dress she was wearing, but stopped when she noticed the soft smile he was sporting. Instead of anger this time, a pang of hurt hit her right in the center of her chest. Thinking back, never had he ever smiled at her that way. Maybe it was because of her personality, or the way she dressed, but she knew that deep down she hadn't taken the time to really get to know him. Saddened, she slowly crept back into the fitting room stall and sunk to the floor. Her clothes were all in disarray scattered across the floor, but at the moment, she didn't care. A few tears flowed down her cheeks, but she made no attempt to wipe them away. She just sat there, letting herself finally let go off all her emotions and fully cry.

xoxoxoxoxo

Inuyasha immediately noticed a change in Kikyo's mood after they left the shopping mall. She was barely talking to him, let alone even glancing his way, and this scared him. _Maybe she already knows_, he thought to himself, as he drove, plagued by the silence that filled the car. Inuyasha mentioned that he'd been hungry so they headed to a nearby restaurant that he'd been to before. Kikyo couldn't help but notice the countless number of times he checked his watch, each time ticking her off even more. Her sadness was long forgotten in the fitting room; now she was angry yet again and back on track with her plan. The sad, weepy chick was not the type of girl she was, or wanted to be, so that whole act was over and done with. She still had a goal to achieve!

They pulled into the nearest parking space and exited the car. Inuyasha was wary of Kikyo at first, but was shocked when she saddened latched onto his arm. "Inu-kins, I can't believe you remembered!"

Inuyasha gaped at her as he fumbled to come up with a response. "R-remembered? What'd I remember?" Kikyo pouted at him, but moved her arm down and intertwined their hands. "This is the same restaurant we went to on our first date! Did you forget?"

Inuyasha nervously laughed as he scratched behind his ears in embarrassment. "Oh wow, I didn't even think about that... heh." Shrugging, Kikyo merely pulled him inside, and they were led to the nearest table. They engaged in light conversation as their food orders came in. Kikyo tried the best attempts at flirtation that she could muster, but it seemed that Inuyasha was well aware of her intentions, and always managed to think about other things.

Finally the sun was beginning to set, and Inuyasha began to grow impatient. It was already ten minutes after six, and he needed to get back before seven. It didn't help matters that the drive back home took about a half an hour. He had already finished his meal, but Kikyo was still pining away slowly at hers; she wasn't even half done! Inuyasha didn't want to, but he knew that he had to tell her soon, and even though now wasn't the best time, it had to be said.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, earning Kikyo's attention. "Um, Kiks? Is it okay if we wrap this up quickly, because... there's somewhere I want to take you." In her mind, Kikyo had suspicious thoughts of his intentions, but shook them away as quickly as they came, thinking he'd had a change of heart. _He hasn't mentioned heading back yet, right? This has to mean he's forgotten about her! _Delighted with her success, she happily agreed to leaving, and after paying for the meal, they headed out.

Thinking back to their first date, Inuyasha remembered a place where he'd taken Kikyo that had a great view of the city. As he drove, his hands grew sweaty on the wheel. He'd replayed this scene over and over again in his mind, knowing exactly how he'd break things down to her. He never liked to hurt women and hated when they cried. He prayed that Kikyo would be different, but didn't bet all his money on it. They drove for a few more minutes before he pulled over near the curb and got out. Kikyo followed, taking notice of the familiar scenery. It was until they got to the lookout spot that she remembered; this was another place they'd gone on their first date. Looking out at the city and being there with Inuyasha almost brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, not wanted to spoil the mood. She beamed as she turned to look at him, but her smile faded at the expression on his face; he didn't look happy in the slightest.

Inuyasha looked into her eyes and noticed her worried expression, which only made matters harder for him. He sighed as he looked at his feet. "Kikyo... there's something I've got to tell you."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and slightly shook her head. _What was he doing? _"What?"

Gathering what courage he could muster, he lifted his head and stared straight into her eyes. "... I can't... I can't do this anymore, Kiks. It's not going to work out, and I'm sorry. You don't even know how sorry I am about doing this to you... but I think... I think we should break up."

It didn't take long before her vision began to blur. Shaking her head more vigorously, the tears threatened to fall. "No... you... YOU CAN'T DO THIS! W-what about all the things we've been through, huh?! You're just going to forget about all those things just because some girl happened to invade your life this summer?! You're just going to forget about me like this?!" By now, the tears were flowing and her heart was beginning to clench. _How dare he do this to me? T-that bitch, Kagome!! Why, Inuyasha? W-why... _

Inuyasha grew frightened when he noticed how much Kikyo was crying, and grew terribly guilty for all the pain he was causing her. _I'm such an idiot! Kikyo... I'm sorry._ He slowly walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her. She tensed at his touch, and immediately recoiled, slapping him hard across his face. He was as surprised as she was at her action, but knew that he'd deserved it, and lowered his head in shame. Kikyo was breathing hard while looking at him, and a new batch of tears began to fall. She'd wanted him so badly, and what hurt her the most was that she was just now realizing it. Impulsively, she walked over to him, wrapped one arm around his neck, and with her other hand, lead his face down onto hers.

She kissed him hard, putting all of her passion and yearning into the kiss. Inuyasha tensed and didn't respond automatically, but slowly gave in, knowing that this was the last time he'd be together with her. After a minute or so had passed, the pair broke apart, both breathing slightly heavily. By now, most traces of Kikyo's tears were gone, and after such a kiss, she merely smirked at him in triumph.

"Well," she began as she turned away from him. "You better get out of here before I start crying again. It's so not appropriate for a girl of my stature. Plus, there are **sooo** many better guys out there that are just waiting to be mine."

Inuyasha nervously laughed and nodded. "Are you... gonna be okay... you know, here by yourself?"

Kikyo looked offended and huffed in response. "Of course I'll be fine! I just don't want to see you anymore! So get out of here, got it? Don't you have some other skank to get together with?"

Cursing himself for forgetting the time, Inuyasha scrambled to look at his watch, ignoring the comment Kikyo had made about Kagome. It was already 6:50 and he was nowhere near where he was supposed to be. _SHIT!_ He scrambled into his car and quickly apologized to Kikyo again. She ignored him as he drove off into the distance. It wasn't until he was long gone that she let the tears fall again.

xoxoxoxoxo

After Miroku and Sango had gotten back from their day out, Kagome hurried into Miroku's car and headed off toward the beach. She'd been bored to death while staying in the house the whole day, and now the time had finally come. Even though it wasn't exactly 7 yet, she thought being a few minutes early wouldn't hurt. After a few minutes drive, she parked one of the beach's parking spaces and waited for a few minutes. Seven o' clock ticked around sooner than she expected, and she took a deep breath as she eagerly climbed out of her car.

There weren't many people around since the sun was setting, but Kagome didn't care about anyone else but him. She couldn't wait to hear what he'd planned to say to her, although she sort of had a clue what it would be. _Maybe it'll play out exactly the way my dream did!_ She giggled at the thought and hoped that was the case. The sand felt cool between her toes and the wind blew all around her skirt, causing a chill to brush against her legs. She mentally cursed herself for not thinking to wear something warmer.

As she looked farther into the distance, she spotted the lifeguard post, but no one was there waiting for her. Slightly puzzled, she brushed off the thoughts she was having and decided that maybe he'd be a bit late. With a sigh, she plopped down on the sand near the post and looked out into the ocean, hoping that Inuyasha would hurry and get to her soon.

xoxoxoxoxo

Inuyasha knew he was breaking countless speed limits as he speed down the highway, dodging cars left and right. He stole a glance at the clock and cursed himself again. "DAMN IT!" He was already twenty minutes late, with still a few more miles left to go. Horns honked at him as angry passerbys yelled out their car windows, but he didn't care. At an upcoming intersection, the light was yellow and about to turn red. Thinking he could make it in time, he floored it and speed up in order to pass through it. What he didn't see, however, was the light change color, and the 16-wheeler heading in the opposing direction.

It all happened so fast that he couldn't make much sense of it. One second he was driving, and the next, he was in the air. The huge truck rammed into the driver's side of the vehicle, sending his car flying and spinning in the opposite direction. His seatbelt was fastened, but very loose, and he was almost thrown into the windshield. After about seven seconds, the car stopped rolling, and not a sound was heard. Unable to move, Inuyasha's body screamed as every part felt like it was on fire. His head was bleeding profusely and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. _Kagome, wait for me..._ That was the last thing he thought of before everything went black.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kagome sat quietly in the dark. The wind blew against her hair, making strands fly in all different directions, but she ignored it, as tears fell from her eyes. She been waiting for half an hour... an hour... two hours, but he still hadn't shown. _Maybe he'd planned this,_ she thought to herself as she shivered. She hadn't wanted to believe that Inuyasha was that type of person, but what did she know? She had only just met him that summer; she hardly even knew him.

The wind began to blow harder, and after a while, she could no longer stand it. With blurred vision, she padded her way across the sand and over towards the car. The drive back home was difficult even with the short distance. When she pulled up into the driveway, she wiped her eyes and made sure that there weren't any signs of tear streaks apparent on her face. Worrying her friends was not something she looked forward to doing. Easing the door open, she trudged toward the house and opened the door. What she didn't expect to see was Sango's tear stricken face. Forgetting about her own problems, she hurried over to her friend's side.

She placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Sango! What happened?!"

Looking at Kagome's face only made her eyes water again. "Kagome... it's..."

Kagome looked confused. "What? What is it, Sango?"

Taking a breath, Sango collected herself. "It's Inuyasha! H-he... he got into a car accident. They said it's r-really bad."

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm super evil and decided to stop the chapter here! ^^ But don't worry, I'll update faster next time so you'll find out what happens next real soon!! I think after this chapter, there will only be about 1 or 2 more. I haven't decided for sure yet, so stay tuned!! Reviews make me super happy (and make me update faster) so if you love me, you'll review :DDD


	11. Chapter 11: Memories Kept Forever

That Summer

This is it! The final chapter of That Summer :) I told you I'd update faster this time (and actually, I just finished at 2:30 AM, so I've lost hours of sleep (on a school night!!) for all you guys... so feel special :DD). I was debating whether or not to split this into two chapters, but I decided against it, seeing as I couldn't find a good enough place to split it if I did. So read and enjoy!

**Chapter 11: Memories Kept Forever**

Kagome's hand slowly dropped from Sango's shoulder and hung limply at her side. After hearing the news, everything in her mind went blank. She was without seeing... without feeling. Inuyasha? Car accident? She couldn't piece the two together, let alone think that something like this could actually happen. Suddenly, her vision became fuzzy and tears began to slowly trickle down her face. Sango had been trying to call out to her, but Kagome was long gone. Desperate, she did the only thing should could do in that sort of situation - she gathered her friend into her arms and embraced her.

Kagome couldn't contain herself any longer and sobs racked through her body, causing her to shake violently. _No, no, NO! Why was this happening? This wasn't how things were supposed to be! _Her only thoughts were of Inuyasha as she clutched tightly onto Sango's already damp shirt. As swiftly as her crying began, panic rose within her. Why was she still here?

"I have to go! I have to go and see him now!!" She stumbled to get up and almost tripped due to her lack of vision. Thankfully, Miroku appeared in time to steady her before she fell.

"Don't worry, Kagome," he reassured her with a calm voice. "I'll drive you over there now." All Kagome could do was nod, since she didn't have the voice to speak.

Sango stood and walked into the kitchen to go and fetch her jacket. "I'm going with you," she called back to him. Miroku merely nodded as he led Kagome out to the car.

The car ride to the hospital was anything but enjoyable. Sango sat in the back with Kagome for moral support, but Kagome wasn't thinking of her - or anyone other than Inuyasha for that matter. She was antsy and restless the whole car ride, thinking of only the worst things that could have happened to him. Each thought causing more tears to form in her eyes, but she pushed them back, promising herself that she would try not to cry until she saw him.

When Miroku had finally pulled into the parking lot, Kagome hurriedly unlatched her seatbelt and flew out of the car, forgetting to close the door behind her.

"Kagome, wait!!"

She chose to ignore Sango's call as she burst through the hospital's automatic doors. _Inuyasha... Inuyasha... where are you?_ She raced down the hall, pushing and dodging random patients and doctors walking around. Spotting a nurse's desk up ahead, she headed straight for it.

"Excuse me..." she huffed, slightly winded."Do you know where... where I can find a patient by the name of... Inuyasha Takahashi?"

The nurse gave her a once over with raised eyebrows before turning to her computer. "Um, let me check." She seemed to be taking her time while looking through the recent patients list, which irked Kagome to no end. She drummed impatiently on the counter top, until finally, the nurse looked back up at her. "It seems we do have a patient by that name. His room number is... 248."

"Thanks," Kagome said in a rush, as she headed for the stairs. Once on the second floor, she zoomed past room numbers, frantically searching for Inuyasha's. _240… 244… 246… 248!_

Kagome stopped in front of his room but hesitated. What would she find once she went inside? Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she slowly opened the door and went in.

What she found was Inuyasha, lying as peaceful as ever under the covers of his hospital bed. His head was bandaged, but left just enough room for his ears to pop out, there was a cast on his right arm and another bandage wrapped around his chest. Other than those minor injuries, the rest of his body looked fine. Kagome was overwhelmed with emotion as she walked over to his bedside, all the while trying to hold in her tears. She was grateful that nothing life threatening had occurred, and breathed a shaky sigh of relief.

Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes as he began to register where he was. First, he noted the white ceiling, then the white walls... _So I must be in the hospital, huh?_... Then, Kagome?! He jerked upward when he noticed her presence but then winced as pain seared through his body. Kagome was immediately at his aid, questioning what hurt and where.

Once the pain subsided, he looked into her concerned face, happy that she was by his side. "Kagome? What are you... you're here."

Unable to control herself any longer, she carelessly flung herself at him and burst into tears. "Inuyasha! Oh God, I c-can't believe you're safe! I -"

"That hurts, wench," he slightly huffed as she pressed against his bruised ribs. She didn't hear him, and only sobbed harder, but he didn't mind. Inuyasha simply smiled as he wrapped his good arm around her shaking body. "I'm okay now, alright... so stop your crying, geez? Plus, this is nothing but a few scratches and breaks. I'm a hanyou, so I'll be good as new in about a day or two."

He soothed his fingers through her hair, and waited patiently until her tears subsided. "Well, I was so worried for you so... I have the right to cry." Pouting and a bit embarrassed, she detached herself from him and began wiping away the remaining tears from her eyes. "So do you mind explaining how you managed to get into such a predicament?" She crossed her arms over her chest, angry now that her worries had vanished.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, and thought carefully of what he'd say. "Um, it's a pretty long story..."

"I'm listening," Kagome stated as she pulled up a chair beside his bedside. Her eyes bore into his as he cleared his throat before beginning. "Well, you see... Kikyo showed up at my house this morning." Kagome narrowed her eyes a bit, but remained silent, so he continued on. "I mean, she literally was there in my room when I woke up... so, she kept insisting that I go out with her today, and I did... b-but I'll tell you the reason why in a sec. It's a good reason too!"

Kagome giggled at his rambling. "Okay, okay, I get it. So then what happened?"

"Well..." He went on to describe the rest of his day with Kikyo, all the while noting how many times Kagome's expression changed. When he got to the part about breaking up with Kikyo, her expression immediately lost all of its fierceness and seemed to have a hint of... joyfulness? Of course, he left out all the little details of how he did it. Some things were just better left unsaid. Finally, he got to the car accident.

"So after checking the time, I realized how late I was. And believe me, I hadn't forgotten about you for a second! You were all I thought of the whole day."

Upon hearing such a statement, Kagome immediately turned red. _Did he really?_ Inuyasha, too, realized what he'd said, and turned crimson as well. "A-anyway, I was speeding to get back to you and, well... I guess you can figure out what happens next."

The pair lapsed into a moment of silence, as they both recalled the day's events. It was all so much that Kagome almost forgot what their initial objective for the day was.

"Oh, yeah," she said, recalling the thought. "What exactly were you planning on... you know, telling me today?"

Caught off guard, Inuyasha scrambled to find the right words. "Um... uh, heh... ya know... I... "

Kagome grew intrigued by how difficult it was for him to respond. "Yes?"

"Uh... you remember the day we first met, right?" He quickly tried to organize his thoughts before continuing.

She laughed. "Of course I do. You were that arrogant jerk who lacked manners."

A bit offended by her comment, he countered back. "Feh. Well, anyone would have an attitude if some stupid wench fell into them!"

Kagome knew she should be the mature one and let the matter go, but a greater part of her wanted to argue back. Heck, she couldn't help it; it was in her nature! "Well, you know what? At least I made the effort to apologize!" She leaned closer to get more in his face. "Any person with a hint of common decency would have let it go. But no - not you, Mr. Takahashi!"

Inuyasha inched closer as well, growing angrier by the second. "I was already having a bad day as it was, but that little incident just made matters worse. So it wasn't my problem if I snapped at you. You had it coming!"

Infuriated, Kagome stood and although she was short, towered slightly over his sitting position on the bed. "How was I to know that you were having a crappy day? The way you act, you could be having one every day! All you care about is yourself!"

"That's not true, and you know it!" Inuyasha growled, as he glared at her.

"Oh, yeah?! Then prove it!!"

Suddenly, his snarl turned into a cocky smirk as he thought of an idea, and before Kagome had any time to react, he pulled her down by her arms and kissed her. Shocked beyond belief, it took Kagome a few seconds to realize what was happening. _Oh my gosh, he's freaking kissing me! Finally! _Closing her eyes, she responded almost immediately. The kiss was sweet, yet still filled with the need and wanting that the two had felt for the longest time. Now everything was finally coming together, and Kagome was filled with such happiness that she could burst.

She straddled his legs so that she was comfortably positioned on his lap, while wrapping her arms around his neck. In turn, Inuyasha used his good hand to gently hold her head, and tilted his own in order to deepen the kiss. After a few minutes, they both came up for air, but Inuyasha continued his assault as he kissed down the side of her neck. Kagome sighed in pleasure and used her hands to gently rub both of his ears. She was surprised when he... wait, was he purring?

Just when they were about to go for another round, Sango and Miroku burst into the room.

"Aah, finally we -" Sango halted, and gaped at her friend when she saw the positions that both she and Inuyasha were. All the caught couple could do was remain frozen as their faces grew redder and redder from embarrassment.

Miroku whistled low and smiled, having a new found respect for Inuyasha. "In a hospital bed, huh? Nice job, man! Very nice," he said with a grin, which earned him a slap across the face from his beloved, Sango. "Well, we'll just leave you two alone to, well... you know what I'm talking about." With a wink, he grabbed Sango's hand, choosing to ignore her protests, and promptly exited the room.

After the two had left, Kagome laughed nervously and slowly untangled herself, opting to lie in the space beside Inuyasha instead.

"So," she started, while beaming up at him. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

Inuyasha smirked and turned to her, lying down as well. "What are you thinking of exactly?

"Well," she rolled so that she was resting against his chest, careful not to touch his bandaged areas. "I think that you've been pining after me all summer, and now you've finally admitted how madly in love you are with me. I'm I pretty close?"

Inuyasha gently brushed away a strand of hair that had randomly fallen in front of her face, and kissed the spot where it had previously been. "I think you're just about right," he said with a grin, as he pressed his forehead against her own and closed his eyes.

"I'm glad," Kagome whispered, as she pecked him on the lips. "Be back in a bit, okay? I need to, erm... clear things up with Sango and Miroku." As she got up to exit the room, she could her him chuckle low in his sleep. Once outside, she spotted her two friends just like she'd hoped, although one looked a bit peeved to say the least.

Taking a breath, she skipped over to her friend, and sat in the chair opposite her. Sango merely glanced up to address her friend before huffing and turning in the other direction.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Miroku responded. "She just a bit angry with you about, well... I'll just let her speak for her-"

"Do you know how worried I was when you ran out of that car, huh?" Sango questioned, cutting him off. "You looked all weird the whole car ride - but I guess that's to be expected since -"

"Sango," Kagome tried to cut in, but her friend continued rambling on.

"- And then I find you in there making out with him! So I'm breathing a sigh of relief and all that, but still -"

"SANGO!" Kagome yelled, while grabbing her friend's hands, in order to finally get her attention. "Listen, I'm fine now, okay. Inuyasha's fine and everything's just... really fine," she blushed, thinking back to the last few minutes that had passed. "And I'm really sorry for worrying you... I was just scared and, well, you know how I get sometimes."

After of few seconds of Sango scanning her friend's face to make sure that she was telling the truth, she let it go. "Well," she began, "As long as you're alright, then I'm happy." She smiled which Kagome returned, and the two friends embraced for the second time that night.

Feeling left out, Miroku cleared his throat, and Kagome remembered him as well. "And thank you too, Miroku, for being as patient as you were with me while I was panicking. You're a great friend too." Laughing at her comment, he allowed her to hug him as well, but kept his hand at a reasonable level, wanting not to endure another round of pain - from both women. "

"Anytime, Kags. So, why don't you hurry back in there to your newly found man, while Sango and I ditch you for the night? I'm sure you both have a lot of _catching up_ to do."

Blushing for what seemed like the millionth time that night, Kagome stuttered, "Y-yeah, sure. You both j-just... hurry and leave now, so seeyoutomorrowbye!!!" Without another word, she quickly hurried back into Inuyasha's room, quietly shutting the door behind her so not to wake him. Smiling again at his peaceful face, she crawled back into the space beside him, and curled up. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her in order to bring her closer. Thankful for the sudden warmth, she softly whispered, "Goodnight" before falling fast asleep.

xoxoxoxoxo

The morning after the incident, Inuyasha seemed a bit better than the previous night, but still had a ways to go in the healing department. The hospital allowed him to be released since, they too, had known about his rapid mending ability, seeing as he was a hanyou. In the few days that passed, Kagome went over to the Takahashi estate every day. Some of her time was spent entertaining Rin, but most of it went towards caring for her momentarily disabled boyfriend - oh, and keeping him company, of course.

After each day that passed, Inuyasha grew healthier, and about the third day after his accident, it was just as he said; he was good as new. Kagome on the other hand was dreading every day to come. It was already Saturday and the gang had planned to head back the same time they always did. Sunday. That meant she only had one whole day left to spend with him, because in the morning, she'd be gone.

Inuyasha could sense her distress while she had preoccupied with helping Rin build a puzzle. He too knew that she would be leaving the next day; yet, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. How had the summer gone by so fast? Even though he'd spent an adequate amount of time with Kagome, it was only just a few days ago that he'd realized how he truly felt about her. And he sure as hell didn't want to have to part with her so soon.

"Kagome," he muttered, bringing her out of her miserable thoughts. "Let's go somewhere you want today... anywhere at all!" he exclaimed, almost desperate. "You just pick the place."

Kagome solely smiled, as she gratefully agreed. "Well then... how about the beach?"

"No problem," Inuyasha smirked as he grabbed her hand. "Let's go now before it gets too late. Kagura, we're going out! Your kid's in here!" Without waiting for her to reply back, the two headed outside. They stopped at his front stoop when Inuyasha instantly thought of an idea.

Kagome looked at him, clearly confused as to what he was thinking of, but his smile slightly reassured her. "Hey, Kags, how about we try something new today, okay?" Still a bit puzzled, she nodded.

"U-um, sure. What are you thinking of?"

Inuyasha crouched low as he waved for her to get on. "Hop on my back and you'll see."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously, before hesitating. "Er, would you mind telling me why first?"

Getting a bit annoyed, Inuyasha motioned harder for her to hurry up. "Just get on, wench, and quit asking questions, will ya?"

"Fine then..." Kagome grumbled, as she positioned herself on his back. "You do know that I'm certainly capable of walking on my own."

"Well, this is a faster and more enjoyable way. Now hold on tight, cus I'm not gonna be rushing **you** to the hospital."

Alarmed at his last comment, she moved to get off but he was quicker, and burst out into a run. Kagome screamed loud enough to flatten his ears atop his head as she squeezed her eyes tight and hung on to his neck for dear life.

"Damn it, Kagome! Make me deaf why don't you!" He spoke easily as he kept up his pace; resisting increasing his speed for fear that she would scream yet again. "It's not as bad as you think, so just open your eyes already and relax."

Keeping her eyes shut, Kagome yelled back at him. "The least you could have done was warn me, you insensitive jerk!" However, after a few seconds, she slowly allowed herself to open one eye, then the other. Everything was passing around her in a blur, but she slowly let herself relax and found that she felt almost as if she were flying. The wind was rushing through her hair, and the smell of the ocean air calmed her. It was such a pleasing feeling that she even let out a squeal of delight, wishing that the moment would last forever.

Nevertheless, her happiness was short lived as Inuyasha slowed to a stop and came up on the beach's sandy banks. He gently set her down on the sand, and she slipped off her flip-flops in order to feel its warmth. The sun was almost about to set, so there was not a trace of anyone on the beach - which meant they had it all to themselves. "Race you to the lifeguarding post!" Kagome yelled, as she took off in its direction, much to Inuyasha's surprise.

"W-what?! No fair, you got a head start!" He hastily slipped off his own shoes and took off after her.

Kagome could see it up ahead, yet she was afraid to turn back and see how close he followed behind. _Almost there... I can make it!!_ With a yelp, she was suddenly lifted up into the air and thrown over Inuyasha's shoulder. "Noo put me down! You can't do this to me!" she cried out in protest. He merely laughed as he thought of another brilliant plan.

"Hey, Kagome, I've got something for you!" Without a second thought, he raced toward the water, complete with girl in tow. Her screams were lost among the waves as he tossed her in - fully clothed and all. Seeing her drenched self and enraged expression, Inuyasha's jubilation turned to fear as Kagome rose from the water.

"...INUYASHA!" She screamed, as she lunged for him. He wasn't quick enough to get away and found himself thrown in as well. Once he had emerged from underneath the water, he walked back out to her, and after a slight pause, the pair burst out into a fit of laughter. When they had both settled down, they walked hand in hand down the beach until they found a good spot to sit and watch the sun set.

"It's so beautiful," Kagome cooed as the setting sun sparkled in her eyes. Inuyasha could only conclude how beautiful she was right at that moment. Her hair, damp from salt water, twinkled in the twilight sky. Her scent was so sweet that it made his knees go weak. And that smile - when she smiled at him, it made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Now he couldn't imagine a day without her, let alone a whole year.

The wind blew a light breeze that brushed against Kagome's body. She was already soaked and the breeze only made her colder. Noticing her shiver, Inuyasha moved her onto his lap and gently wrapped his arms around her. Kagome let out a content sigh as she snuggled closer into his chest.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Kagome breathed as she looked out at the sea.

Inuyasha kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on it. "I do too," he replied softly, as he tightened his grip around her. _Why did summer have to end so soon? Why couldn't they have more time to spend together?_

Suddenly, he felt wetness on his arm and smelled salt water that didn't come from the ocean. Turning Kagome around so that she was facing him, he realized that she was crying. Tears ran down her face as she cried silently to herself. "Kagome..." he murmured, as he gathered her up into his arms again, "please don't cry... please..."

She couldn't hold herself back any longer, and her silent cries turned into sobs as she buried her face into his chest, eagerly clutching onto his shirt for support. "I -Inuyasha..." The cold was getting to her. The end of the summer was getting to her. Everything was getting to her. And it all seemed so unfair. She knew that she had to go back - back to the life that she'd known before she'd met Inuyasha - but why did it have to hurt so badly. Everything was so overwhelming that she didn't even resist the tears anymore, and they continued to fall, one after another.

Seeing her cry to such an extent struck a pain through Inuyasha's heart. This was it. This was the last day that they had of their summer to spend together. After that, it would just be trying to meet together any chance they got - which he knew wouldn't be very many due to school and the distance. As he held on to her shivering frame, his vision began to slightly blur. Before he knew it, a tear had escaped and fell down his cheek. _Damn it, Inuyasha! You need to be strong... for Kagome..._ Storing as much of his sadness as he could away, he softly ran his fingers through Kagome's hair until she began to calm down.

When her cries died down, he carefully moved her so that they were face-to-face, and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Kagome kept her eyes closed, however, for she feared that if she opened them, a new batch of tears would erupt.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, tracing her features with his fingertips, "please, open your eyes." Releasing a shaky breath, she slowly opened them and stared up into his radiant, amber ones. "Kagome," he began again, "I... I love you."

With a smile and a shaky voice, whispered back, "I - I love you too, Inuyasha."

Before she could start crying a second time, he cupped both sides of her face and led his mouth onto hers in a sweet kiss. Kagome willed herself not to cry, and melted into him, getting as close to him as humanly possible. Soon the kiss became desperate, and the pair hungrily reached for one another, conveying all their love and the happiness they shared together since the summer began. Finally, they broke apart, in much need of air, and with shortened breaths, stared into one another's eyes.

"I think... we should go back," Inuyasha suggested. He knew he needed to stop before things got too difficult for him to. All Kagome could do was nod in agreement, for he had taken her breath away. With one final kiss, he gathered her into his arms bridal style and began his sprint in the direction of her house.

Kagome sensed that they were going in the opposite direction from which they'd came, and knew exactly where they were heading. "Inuyasha... no," she replied, sleepily. "Let me stay... with you... just for tonight." Coming to a stop, Inuyasha gave in and headed back in the direction of his house.

She was fast asleep by the time he'd made it back. Leaving Kagura in charge of dressing her in some of his clothes - because he knew he couldn't do it himself - he changed his own, and carefully placed her onto his bed. Opting to sleep on the floor beside her, he moved to leave, but Kagome had latched onto his shirt. "Stay..." was all she said as she slowly released her grip and her hand fell onto the sheets.

With a sigh, he slipped under the covers and gathered her into his arms. Content with his warmth, Kagome snuggled in closer and wrapped her arms around him. "Night, Inuyasha," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, as he kissed the top of her head before falling asleep himself.

xoxoxoxoxo

The next morning, Kagome awoke to a buzzing noise coming from beside the bed. Content with her current position, she chose just to ignore it and go back to sleep. But then, she heard it again... and again... and yet again. Annoyed as hell, she untangled herself from Inuyasha's arms, and looked around for the source, eager to shut whatever it was, up. It turned out to just be her phone, which she'd thankfully put on vibrate before she'd left with Inuyasha to go to the beach.

Rubbing the remaining sleepiness out of her eyes, she lazily leaned over to the table it was resting on, and checked the screen. "MY GOSH! 14 MISSED CALLS!" She was so overcome with shock that she leaned over too far, and with a thud, fell loudly from the bed and onto the floor. Inuyasha shot up at the sudden noise and yawned.

"What's... going on, Kags?" Kagome chose not to answer him as she hurriedly dialed Sango's number and waited while the phone rang.

3... 2... 1...

**"KAGOME HIGURASHI! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN AND WHERE EXACTLY ARE YOU NOW?!"**

"Sango, I was -"

**"You do know that I've been trying to call you for the past HOUR, but NOOO, you choose NOT to answer your phone at the time when it's most crucial!"**

"I know, I know. I was just asleep and -"

**"Asleep, huh?? Knowing you, you'd sleep all day if you wanted! Do you have any idea what ti -?"**

"SANGO, JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE FREAKING SECOND, OKAY?!"

**"... Okay, fine then. Well, what do you have to say in your defense?"**

"I was with Inuyasha, okay - And before you say anything, no, we did not do what you think we did. We just hung out and then it got late, so I crashed at his place. And I'm sorry I called you back so late, but you know that I'm not an early riser like you! So at least forgive me for that."

**"Alright, alright. I forgive you. But you better get your butt over here now! It's already almost 12 and you know how long it takes to get back home."**

"... yeah, I know."

**"Yeah, so please get here as soon as you can, okay? Love you! Bye!"**

Kagome ended the call and trudged over to the bed before collapsing on it. She wasn't a bit tired now; she just didn't want to do the one thing she needed to - which was to leave. Having heard the whole exchange between the two friends Inuyasha made his way over to her, thinking of a way to cheer her up. He crept slowly so that she wouldn't notice, and just when she was about to turn his way, he pounced on her and began his tickle attack.

She squealed out of shock and delight as she tried to get away from him, but her struggles were in vain. "Aaah!! Stop!! ... Please!" She chocked out between laughs.

"Not until you brighten up. I can do this all day!"

Using another escape method, she tried to kick him off using the force from her feet, but he had greater strength, and hers was slowly draining with each attack. "O-okay, okay! I'm happy now!!"

Still not yet convinced, Inuyasha continued. "You promise?"

"Y-yes!! I promise!!"

Inuyasha laughed at her flustered face. "Well, alright then." He released her and moved out of the way just before her hand came across to hit him. "See, I learn from past events," he said with a wink. She retaliated by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Okay, whatever," she muttered, as she looked around for her newly washed and dried clothes that the maid had brought up earlier. "Now hurry and get out so I can get dressed!"

With arched eyebrows, Inuyasha looked at her as if she'd bumped her head on something. "You do know that this is _my_ room right? And also, those clothes you're wearing? Those are mine too."

Letting out a breath, Kagome strode over to him. "You do know what these are, right?" she asked, pointing to her chest.

Confused as to where she was going with this, he answered hesitantly while stepping back, "Y-yeah..."

She took a step forward and grabbed onto his chest. "Well, looks like you don't have any buddy!" Another step forward. "And you know what people with these are called? Women!" Another step. "And you know what women need when they don't want to change in front of men with raging hormones?" She paused for added effect, waiting to see if he'd answer.

"U-uh..."

"Privacy! Women need privacy! Not scat!" With a final push, he was thrust into the hall and locked out of his own room.

xoxoxoxoxo

Kagome was dreading every bit of the car ride back to Sango's house. Every second she got closer, more time was taken from what little she had left to spend with Inuyasha. She glanced wearily over at him, but noticed that he was intently focused on the road ahead. Contrasted with Kagome's worries, he didn't seem as sad as she felt. _Maybe he's just holding it all in? Yeah, that's it... Or, maybe... what if? No, he wouldn't think that way at all... at least, I hope not._

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw how worried Kagome looked. Keeping one hand on the wheel, with the other, he grabbed onto her own and squeezed it. No words were needed, yet Kagome knew for certain how he felt at that moment.

Finally they had arrived at Sango's house. Kagome could already see Miroku outside packing up the car with all of their supplies and luggage. Sango had noticed Inuyasha's car pull up and went out to meet them. Kagome could see her coming but sunk lower in seat, like a child who was afraid to go inside the dentist's office. "Don't make me go," she mumbled, so that only Inuyasha could hear.

Inuyasha looked into her pleading eyes, but could do nothing to reassure her. "You know I don't want you to go, Kags. Hell, I wish you could just stay here with me and not go home at all! I... I don't want to lose you..."

Before Kagome could respond back, Sango opened the car door and greeted the pair.

"C'mon, Kagome! We've got to get this show on the road. Your stuff is inside still, but you can get Inuyasha you to help if you'd like. And once that's done we can get out of here."

Without even speaking or looking at her friend, she slipped out of the car and ran towards the house. With a sad look toward Sango, Inuyasha stepped out of the car and followed after her. When he'd finally caught up, he found her standing inside the room both she and Sango had shared, trying desperately to wipe away any tears that happened to escape from her eyes. He knew this would happen, but he also knew that if he spent the time he wanted to comfort her, he'd never want to let her go afterwards.

Walking around to face her, he gently grasped her shoulders. "Kagome, now you better listen to me, okay?" She nodded, so he continued on. "I know this is hard for you... and believe me, it's hard for me too. If I could, I'd keep you here all to myself, but that's not possible... no matter how much I want it to be. So you better toughen up!"

Kagome looked away from him. "Easier said than done," she sniffled.

He cupped her chin and made her look up at him again. "Not for you! What happened to the girl that could match me in any argument, huh? Or that girl who put up with all my pranks and insults, yet still wanted to stay by my side? That girl was you, Kagome. And damn it, you're the girl I fell in love with! So quit your crying, alright! I've already seen enough tears out of you to last me a lifetime."

Surprised that he could say such a thing, her sadness quickly washed away and was replaced with happiness. Why the heck was she acting so pathetic? And since when had she ever been such a crybaby? Hadn't she gotten what she wanted? So there was no reason for her to be sad. Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Thanks for finally making me feel better," she smiled as she hugged him.

"Anytime," he smirked as he hugged back. "Now, let's hurry and get all this crap into the car."

Feigning hurt, she released him. "It is not crap! These are treasures! Only a guy would think such a thing..."

Brushing the subject off, he went to carry the largest bag out first. "Feh, if you say so, wench."

"What was that?!"

"Nothing!"

xoxoxoxoxo

After everything was loaded up and ready to go, it was time to say their goodbyes. Miroku was the first to wish Inuyasha a happy farewell. The two hadn't really spent a whole lot of time together, but to Miroku, he seemed like a pretty cool guy. And any boyfriend of Kagome's was always welcome to be a friend of his.

Sango was second and wished Inuyasha a great year. She was happy that her friend had finally found love after all these years. And just in case Kagome was wondering - she approved.

Finally, it was Kagome's turn. She looked back at the car where Miroku and Sango were waiting for her, then back to Inuyasha. Finally, the realization and sadness was starting to creep up on him, and he didn't like the feeling at all. But he promised himself that he wouldn't let Kagome see. He didn't want her to start crying again after he made such a speech earlier.

She cautiously stepped forward, and so did he, until they both couldn't take it anymore and raced into each other's arms. He kissed her with an intensity that she'd never witnessed before, and yet, she responded back just as eagerly. Her hands wove themselves through his silver locks, while his own, swept over every part of her body he could touch. They got so into one another that it wasn't until Miroku honked the horn that they realized just how much time had passed.

Breathing as heavily as ever, to calm his racing heart, Inuyasha cupped her face with his hands and looked deep into her eyes. "I better be the only stupid, insensitive jerk you ever love, got it? And those guys over in Tampa better keep their distance, unless they want some broken bones that is, because you're mine and only mine. Just remember that."

Kagome giggled at his protectiveness. "Don't worry, I won't. And I always better be the only girl who can beat you in an argument, okay? Because if not, you're gonna have one angry girlfriend on your hands!" She paused in order to prepare herself for what would happen next. "... I love you, Inuyasha. I'll always be thinking of you every second until we find a chance to meet again, and... you know how much I'll miss you, so that goes without saying..."

"I love you too, Kags. And I'm not even going to say how much I'll miss you, but I bet you can figure it out. You better be free a lot too, so we can, uh... meet up and stuff. And no more crying!" he scolded, after seeing how watery her eyes had become.

"I know, I know," she muttered, while wiping at them. "So hurry up and ditch me before I do!"

"I wish I didn't have too..." he said seriously.

Barely able to hold back any longer, she hugged him one final time. And with a final kiss, she raced toward the car without looking back.

Miroku looking into his rearview mirror and almost questioned if she was alright, but Sango motioned for him to let it go - so he did, and started the car. Once carefully inside, before they finally headed out, she took one final glance back at him, hoping to treasure all the memories they'd shared together deep within her heart. And he was standing there, waving back at her, hoping to also get a last moment's glance.

As they drove further and further away, she thought she saw something fall down his cheek, but her own tears were clouding her vision, so she figured she might have just been seeing things.

Finally, he was gone. No longer visible. No longer touchable. The tears started to really flow then, but she'd promised... she promised she wouldn't cry - and she didn't want to break that promise either. Wiping the lingering traces of water from her eyes, she sucked away her sadness, and instead of wallowing over the misery of leaving him, she thought of all the time they'd spent together.

Kagome recalled all her precious memories of him. The stupid jerk that lacked manners and hand a skank for a girlfriend. The really hot lifeguard who'd saved her life when she'd nearly drowned - yet again. The shockingly nice guy that showed a side of him she'd never seen before. The caring new friend that taught her how to conquer a fear she'd had almost her whole life. The crush that made her heart beat rapidly. The reckless driver who had her worrying over him constantly. And finally, the first boy she'd ever really fallen in love with. That was all him - Inuyasha Takahashi.

After thinking back on all she'd been through over the past few months spent in Orlando, she'd realized how many life-changing experiences had occurred for her. It didn't matter if she'd momentarily leave everything behind; everything would just be waiting for her next year - and she'd be ready to tackle the all of next summer challenges. Another reason why she couldn't wait until that time came around was because a special someone was waiting for her as well.

Through the thick and the thin, and all the obstacles faced and goals achieved, she knew that she'd never, EVER, forget that summer.

**A/N:** Done!! Oh my gosh, this chapter took so long to write Dx But I'm happy with how it turned out. So that's all for That Summer :DD I hope you all enjoyed the story! I know my writing started off really bad in the beginning (I'm ashamed ) but as you can see, I got better - and will continue to! Not really sure if I'm going to make a sequel or anything to this - I don't know, I guess if an idea comes to mind, then maybe. But I do actually have ideas for another story that I'll post up soon (probably sometime this summer) so stay posted! Again, much love to all my reviewers! Oh, and I still love reviews xD


	12. Author's Note: IMPORTANT UPDATE!

Since I've gotten so many requests for one, I've decided to make… _drum roll please_… a **SEQUEL**! WOOT! YAY :D

So far I've gotten down the gist of what I want to do for the storyline so expect it to be out in a couple of weeks (most likely early to mid march) depending on how busy I am with school/work/etc. And I haven't thought of a title yet - I'm really bad with them – so you'll just have to be surprised when it's released.

Well, that's all for now. Make sure to look out for it in March!

P.S. I love all you reviewers! You guys make my smile :]


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